Which was the better investment since 2000, Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) or S&P 500 (SPY)?

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) was the better investment. $1,000 invested in Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) in 2000 would be worth $9,733 today, compared to $8,517 for S&P 500 (SPY).

What would $1,000 in Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) vs S&P 500 (SPY) be worth today?

$1,000 invested in Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) in 2000 would be worth $9,733 today (+873.3%). The same $1,000 in S&P 500 (SPY) would be worth $8,517 (+751.7%).

How do Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) and S&P 500 (SPY) compare to the S&P 500 since 2000?

The same $1,000 invested in the S&P 500 in 2000 would be worth $8,517 today (+751.7%). Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) returned $9,733 and S&P 500 (SPY) returned $8,517 over the same period.

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) vs S&P 500 (SPY): $1,000 invested since 2000

QQQ vs SPY · Data through 2026-06-01

Investment amount

$1,000 invested in 2000 would be worth

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ)Winner

$9,734

+873.4%

S&P 500 (SPY)

$8,517

+751.7%

The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $8,517(+751.7%)

Growth of $1,000

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) vs. S&P 500 (SPY) vs. S&P 500, 2000 to present

Year-by-year comparison

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) vs. S&P 500 (SPY), 2000 to present

Year	Nasdaq 100 (QQQ)	Return	S&P 500 (SPY)	Return	S&P 500
2000	$1,000	-	$1,000	-	$1,000
2001	$717	-28.3%	$992	-0.8%	$992
2002	$429	-40.1%	$830	-16.3%	$830
2003	$273	-36.5%	$641	-22.8%	$641
2004	$413	+51.7%	$859	+34.0%	$859
2005	$421	+1.9%	$912	+6.1%	$912
2006	$475	+12.7%	$1,001	+9.8%	$1,001
2007	$500	+5.3%	$1,150	+14.8%	$1,150
2008	$513	+2.7%	$1,119	-2.7%	$1,119
2009	$332	-35.4%	$691	-38.3%	$691
2010	$491	+48.1%	$916	+32.7%	$916
2011	$648	+32.1%	$1,120	+22.2%	$1,120
2012	$707	+9.1%	$1,167	+4.2%	$1,167
2013	$791	+11.9%	$1,359	+16.5%	$1,359
2014	$1,033	+30.5%	$1,651	+21.4%	$1,651
2015	$1,229	+19.0%	$1,884	+14.1%	$1,884
2016	$1,279	+4.0%	$1,868	-0.9%	$1,868
2017	$1,547	+21.0%	$2,241	+20.0%	$2,241
2018	$2,122	+37.2%	$2,830	+26.3%	$2,830
2019	$2,125	+0.1%	$2,761	-2.4%	$2,761
2020	$2,791	+31.3%	$3,353	+21.4%	$3,353
2021	$4,030	+44.4%	$3,929	+17.2%	$3,929
2022	$4,673	+16.0%	$4,841	+23.2%	$4,841
2023	$3,820	-18.3%	$4,444	-8.2%	$4,444
2024	$5,444	+42.5%	$5,360	+20.6%	$5,360
2025	$6,860	+26.0%	$6,766	+26.2%	$6,766
2026	$8,209	+19.7%	$7,871	+16.3%	$7,871

Which came out ahead

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) outpaced S&P 500 (SPY) over this stretch from 2000. That $1,000 grew to $9,733 in QQQ versus $8,517 in SPY as of 2026-06-01, roughly $1,216 more in the end.

Stacked side by side, the totals tell the same story. Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) returned +873.3% against S&P 500 (SPY) at +751.7%, a gap of about 121.6 percentage points over the 26.6-year window. Compounded, that is about 8.9% a year for QQQ against 8.4% for SPY.

Because Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) is itself a broad index fund, this matchup measures a single position against the market rather than against another single stock. Across this long 26.6-year window, small annual differences compounded into the wide ending gap. All figures use split-adjusted closing prices and exclude dividends, taxes, fees, and inflation, so a real after-tax result would differ.

None of this recommends one holding over the other. It is historical math, and past performance does not guarantee future results.

Other start years

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) vs S&P 500 (SPY) from a different starting point

Since 2005 Since 2010 Since 2015 Since 2020 Since 2023

Individual stock pages

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) since 2000+873.3%S&P 500 (SPY) since 2000+751.7%

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For informational and educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. All calculations are based on split-adjusted closing prices from Yahoo Finance and do not account for dividends, taxes, or trading fees. See our methodology and full disclaimer.