SPY vs QQQ: Returns, Risk & Volatility (2024)

Written by Gale Finance Team

Reviewed by Sid Kalla CFA Charterholder

Analysis period: 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31

SPY Total Return

↑ +25.6%

QQQ Total Return

↑ +27.7%

Relative Performance of SPY vs QQQ (Normalized to 100)

SPY QQQ

Normalized to 100 at start date for comparison

Key Takeaways

Total Return: SPY delivered a +25.6% total return, while QQQ returned +27.7% over the same period. QQQ outperformed on total returns.
Risk-Adjusted Return (Sharpe Ratio): SPY had a higher Sharpe (1.52 vs 1.20), indicating better risk-adjusted performance.
Volatility (Annualized): QQQ was more volatile, with 18.0% annualized volatility, versus 12.6% for SPY.
Maximum Drawdown: SPY's maximum drawdown was -8.4%, while QQQ experienced a deeper drawdown of -13.6%.
Tail Risk (VaR & Expected Shortfall): At the 5% level (daily log returns), SPY's VaR was -1.39% and its Expected Shortfall (CVaR) was -1.91%; QQQ's were -1.98% and -2.71%. VaR is the cutoff; Expected Shortfall is the average move on the worst days.
Skew & Kurtosis: Skew: SPY -0.57 vs QQQ -0.47. Excess kurtosis: SPY 1.82 vs QQQ 1.00. Negative skew leans downside; higher excess kurtosis means fatter tails.
Tail Days & Extremes: 2σ tail days (down/up): SPY 9/5, QQQ 11/7. Worst day: SPY -2.98% (2024-12-18) vs QQQ -3.61% (2024-12-18). Best day: SPY +2.49% (2024-11-06) vs QQQ +3.06% (2024-08-08).
Risk ratios: Sortino - SPY: 2.17 vs. QQQ: 1.71 , Calmar - SPY: N/A vs. QQQ: N/A , Sterling - SPY: N/A vs. QQQ: N/A , Treynor - SPY: N/A vs. QQQ: N/A , Ulcer Index - SPY: N/A vs. QQQ: N/A

S&P 500 vs Nasdaq 100 Correlation

0.94 Average Correlation

S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 were strongly correlated in 2024. With a correlation of 0.94, these assets tended to move together, limiting diversification benefits.

For portfolio construction, this strong correlation means holding both SPY and QQQ provides limited risk reduction — they're likely to decline together in downturns.

Metric	Value
Current (30-day)	0.93
Average (full period)	0.94
Minimum	0.82
Maximum	0.98

Correlation measures how closely two assets move together. Values near +1 indicate strong co-movement, near 0 indicates independence, and negative values indicate inverse movement.

Investment Comparison

If you invested $10,000 in each asset on January 1, 2024:

SPY $12,558.798 +25.6%

QQQ $12,773.806 +27.7%

Difference: $215.007 (QQQ ahead)

S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100: Risk Analysis

S&P 500 experienced its maximum drawdown of -8.4% from 2024-07-16 to 2024-08-05. It has not yet recovered to its previous peak.

Nasdaq 100 experienced its maximum drawdown of -13.6% from 2024-07-10 to 2024-08-07. It has not yet recovered to its previous peak.

Smaller drawdowns and faster recoveries indicate lower downside risk and greater resilience during market stress.

Sharpe Ratio of SPY and QQQ

SPY Sharpe Ratio

↑ 1.52

QQQ Sharpe Ratio

↑ 1.20

Sharpe ratio measures return per unit of risk (volatility). A higher Sharpe indicates better risk-adjusted performance. SPY had a higher Sharpe (1.52 vs 1.20), indicating better risk-adjusted performance.

A Sharpe above 1.0 is generally considered good, above 2.0 is excellent. Negative Sharpe means the asset underperformed the risk-free rate. Calculated on each asset's full 365-day lookback of available prices and annualized using the asset calendar (365 for crypto, 252 trading days for equities/ETFs/metals).

Sortino Ratio of SPY and QQQ

SPY Sortino Ratio

↑ 2.17

QQQ Sortino Ratio

↑ 1.71

Sortino ratio measures return per unit of downside risk. Unlike Sharpe, it only counts downside deviation (returns below the target return). SPY had better downside-adjusted returns.

A higher Sortino is better. It's useful when upside volatility is common (crypto is the obvious example). Downside deviation: SPY 8.8% vs QQQ 12.7%. Calculated on each asset's full 365-day lookback of available prices, using the daily risk-free rate as the target return, and annualized using the asset calendar (365 for crypto, 252 trading days for equities/ETFs/metals).

Tail Risk & Distribution Shape (2024): S&P 500 vs. Nasdaq 100

This section looks at the shape of daily returns, not just the average. Tail stats are computed per asset on its own daily series (crypto includes weekends). We use daily log returns $\ln\left(\frac{P_t}{P_{t-1}}\right)$ so multi-day moves add cleanly.

Definitions: Value at Risk (VaR), Expected Shortfall, skew, kurtosis, and fat tails.

Metric (2024)	SPY	QQQ
5% VaR (daily log return)	-1.39%	-1.98%
5% Expected Shortfall (CVaR)	-1.91% (worst 13 days)	-2.71% (worst 13 days)
Skew	-0.57	-0.47
Excess kurtosis	1.82	1.00
2σ tail days (down / up)	9 / 5	11 / 7
Worst day	-2.98% (2024-12-18)	-3.61% (2024-12-18)
Best day	+2.49% (2024-11-06)	+3.06% (2024-08-08)

Downside co-moves (2σ) — 2024

Computed on shared dates only (n=251). A “2σ downside move” means a shared-close log return more than 2 standard deviations below that asset’s own mean on this shared-date series. Dates below show simple returns (%) for readability.

When QQQ has a big down day, SPY also does

63.6%

7 / 11 days

When SPY has a big down day, QQQ also does

77.8%

7 / 9 days

Show downside tail dates

Dates below are shared-date observations. The “Date” is the period end (close). Tail thresholds are computed on log returns, but the table shows simple returns (%) for readability. Returns are computed from the previous shared close to this one (for example, Friday → Monday includes weekend moves).

Days when both SPY and QQQ had a big down day (2σ)

Date (interval)	SPY	QQQ
2024-07-24	-2.27%	-3.59%
2024-08-02	-1.86%	-2.37%
2024-08-02 → 2024-08-05	-2.91%	-2.98%
2024-08-30 → 2024-09-03	-2.06%	-3.04%
2024-09-06	-1.68%	-2.68%
2024-10-31	-1.96%	-2.52%
2024-12-18	-2.98%	-3.61%

Days when SPY had a big down day

Date (interval)	SPY	QQQ
2024-01-31	-1.63%	-1.96%
2024-04-30	-1.58%	-1.89%
2024-07-24	-2.27%	-3.59%
2024-08-02	-1.86%	-2.37%
2024-08-02 → 2024-08-05	-2.91%	-2.98%
2024-08-30 → 2024-09-03	-2.06%	-3.04%
2024-09-06	-1.68%	-2.68%
2024-10-31	-1.96%	-2.52%
2024-12-18	-2.98%	-3.61%

Days when QQQ had a big down day

Date (interval)	SPY	QQQ
2024-07-11	-0.86%	-2.19%
2024-07-17	-1.40%	-2.94%
2024-07-24	-2.27%	-3.59%
2024-08-01	-1.42%	-2.42%
2024-08-02	-1.86%	-2.37%
2024-08-02 → 2024-08-05	-2.91%	-2.98%
2024-08-30 → 2024-09-03	-2.06%	-3.04%
2024-09-06	-1.68%	-2.68%
2024-10-31	-1.96%	-2.52%
2024-11-15	-1.28%	-2.38%
2024-12-18	-2.98%	-3.61%

Read this as “how ugly the ugly days get”, not as a precise forecast. One-year samples are small, so tail estimates are inherently noisy.

Full Comparison of S&P 500 vs. Nasdaq 100 (2024)

Metric	SPY	QQQ
Total Return	+25.6%	+27.7%
Annualized Volatility	12.6%	18.0%
Sharpe Ratio	1.52	1.20
Sortino Ratio	2.17	1.71
Calmar Ratio	N/A	N/A
Sterling Ratio	N/A	N/A
Treynor Ratio	N/A	N/A
Ulcer Index	N/A	N/A
Max Drawdown	-8.4%	-13.6%
Avg Correlation to S&P 500	N/A	N/A
5% VaR (daily log return)	-1.39%	-1.98%
5% Expected Shortfall (CVaR)	-1.91%	-2.71%
Skew	-0.57	-0.47
Excess kurtosis	1.82	1.00
2σ tail days (down / up)	9 / 5	11 / 7

Audit this calculation

Formulas, inputs, and conventions used to compute the metrics on this page.

Inputs & conventions

Shared window for pair metrics: 2024-01-01 → 2024-12-31 (last shared close).
Rolling correlation sample (shared closes): N/A
Annualization (days/year): SPY: 252 days/year; QQQ: 252 days/year.
Risk-free rate: Uses the 3-month U.S. Treasury yield (FRED: DGS3MO), averaged over each asset’s window:

SPY: 4.58%.

QQQ: 4.58%.
Volatility drag (rule of thumb): Estimated from annualized volatility (simple returns). For the log-return framing, see Log returns.

SPY: ≈ -0.8%/yr

QQQ: ≈ -1.6%/yr
Data alignment: No forward fill. Correlation and tail co-moves are computed on shared closes only.
For cross-calendar pairs (e.g., crypto vs stocks), weekend/holiday moves roll into the next shared close.
Return conventions: Volatility/Sharpe/Sortino use simple daily returns. Tail-risk uses daily log returns for distribution stats (but tables show simple returns). Log returns.

Formulas

Daily simple return

r_t = \frac{P_t}{P_{t-1}} - 1

Volatility

\sigma_{ann} = \sigma(r_t)\sqrt{A}

Volatility drag (approx.)

\text{drag} \approx \tfrac{1}{2}\sigma_{ann}^2

Sharpe Ratio

S = \frac{A\,\bar{r} - r_f}{\sigma(r_t)\sqrt{A}}

Sortino Ratio

So = \frac{A\,\bar{r} - r_f}{\sqrt{\mathbb{E}[\min(0,\,r_t - r_f/A)^2]}\,\sqrt{A}}

Maximum Drawdown

MDD = \min_t\left(\frac{P_t}{\max_{s \le t} P_s} - 1\right)

Average Correlation

\rho = \frac{\operatorname{cov}(r^A,\,r^B)}{\sigma_A\,\sigma_B}

Log returns

\ell_t = \ln\left(\frac{P_t}{P_{t-1}}\right)

Notation

$P_t$: Price on day t.
$r_t$: Simple daily return.
$\ell_t$: Log daily return.
$\bar{r}$: Average daily return.
$\sigma(r_t)$: Standard deviation of daily returns.
$A$: Annualization factor (days/year).
$r_f$: Annual risk-free rate.

S&P 500 vs Nasdaq 100: Frequently Asked Questions

Which had higher volatility: SPY or QQQ?

QQQ showed higher volatility at 18.0% annualized, compared to 12.6% for SPY During 2024. Higher volatility meant larger price swings in both directions.

Did SPY provide diversification when held with QQQ?

SPY and QQQ were strongly correlated in 2024, with an average correlation of 0.94. This strong correlation limited diversification benefits.

How bad are the worst 5% days for SPY vs QQQ?

During 2024, SPY's 5% VaR was -1.39% and its 5% Expected Shortfall was -1.91% (worst 13 days). QQQ's were -1.98% and -2.71% (worst 13 days).

Do SPY and QQQ crash together on bad days?

On shared dates (n=251), when QQQ has a 2σ down day, SPY also does 63.6% (7/11 days). In the other direction, when SPY has one, QQQ also does 77.8% (7/9 days).

Which had better risk-adjusted returns: SPY or QQQ?

SPY showed better risk-adjusted performance with a Sharpe ratio of 1.52 versus QQQ's 1.20 During 2024.

Could SPY and QQQ have been combined in a portfolio?

Yes, though allocation sizing mattered. Their strong correlation provided limited risk reduction since they tended to move together. QQQ's higher volatility (18.0%) meant even small allocations can materially impact overall portfolio risk.

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