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Launched · SEC filings

First Trust Nasdaq-100 Select Equal Weight ETF

QQEWNasdaqFirst TrustC

$146.43−1.60 (−1.08%)

As of Nov 10, 2026, 11:15 AM ET

C44/ 100

Rank 75 of 99 in US Multifactor

C44/100Rank 75 of 99inUS Multifactor
Intraday session: down, 22 prints from 148.03 to 146.43. Range 146.00 to 147.91. Use the arrow keys to read each point.146.00147.00147.5010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.55%
Fund size
$1.65B
1Y total return
+5.6%
Yield · Last 12 months
0.14%
Holdings
51
Avg volume · 30D
44.7K sh
52W range
low $122.38high $167.27
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net QQEW Grade

C

Score 44 out of 100

Category
US Multifactor⁠
Rank
75 of 99
Six-pillar profile for QQEW. Scores out of 100: Cost 22, Risk 14, Mission 63, Tradability 80, Holdings 41, Durability 74. Strongest: Tradability (80). Weakest: Risk (14). Leans toward Tradability and Durability.

Score 44 of 100 falls in the C band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.

  • Cost

    The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.
    F22 out of 100
    Rank 77 of 99

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    B63 out of 100
    Rank 74 of 87

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    F14 out of 100
    Rank 95 of 99

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    A80 out of 100
    Rank 12 of 99

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    C41 out of 100
    Rank 69 of 98

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    A74 out of 100
    Rank 19 of 99

Our read on QQEW

ETF.net Research

In short

CSame Nasdaq-100 neighborhood, very different math: QQEW screens the names on a blended quality and growth score, then weights them roughly evenly, so a handful of megacaps don't run the whole portfolio.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks to track the price and yield performance of the Nasdaq-100 Select Equal WeightTM Index before fees and expenses, normally investing at least 80% of net assets in index securities.

Why people hold it

  • Equal weighting is the whole point. Each of the roughly 100 holdings gets a similar slice at rebalance, so the fund's path leans on the broad Nasdaq-100 field rather than its four or five biggest names.
  • Not a blind equal-weight sleeve. The index picks its lineup using a Blended Quality and Growth Score, so the equal weighting is applied to a screened list, not the raw membership roll.ftportfolios.com
  • Live since 2006, with billions in assets and quarterly distributions. This is a long-tenured fund that has traded through several full market cycles, not a recent thematic launch.
  • The mandate is tight and testable: at least 80% of net assets in the securities of its named index, so what you see in the index rulebook is what drives the portfolio.

Worth knowing

  • Fees are the trade-off. At 0.55%, QQEW costs meaningfully more than the typical fund in its multifactor peer group, where broad names like VYM and IUSG run at a fraction of that.
  • It trades lightly next to the household-name Nasdaq trackers, so bid-ask spreads can be wider, especially in fast markets or on large orders.
  • Still a concentrated slice: roughly 100 companies from one exchange's large-cap index. Equal weighting spreads the bets inside that pool, it doesn't broaden the pool.

QQEW Performance

Launched Apr 19, 2006

Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.

QQEW$10,565
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,339
Nov 7, 2025 to Nov 9, 2026. QQEW $10,565. SPY $11,339. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$9,000$10,000$11,000$12,000Nov 2025May 2026Nov 2026

Nov 7, 2025 – Nov 9, 2026

Returns run to the Nov 9, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.

Trailing total return for QQEW. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodQQEW
Year to date+4.2%
1 month−9.7%
3 months−8.6%
1 year+5.6%
3 yearsper year+13.4%
5 yearsper year+4.8%
10 yearsper year+13.1%

With distributions reinvested.

Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.

Annual total returns for QQEW
YearReturn barQQEW
2026 YTD+4.2%
2025+14.2%
2024+7.0%
2023+33.3%
2022−24.6%
2021+17.7%
2020+37.3%

QQEW in the news

QQEW Dividends

Adds up every distribution paid per share over the last 12 months, divided by the last completed close. Distributions are counted by ex-date. Data through Nov 9, 2026.
0.14%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$0.21Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.02 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Quarterly

Distribution history

2017–2026

One bar per payment. 37 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 23, 2017 $0.05; Jun 22, 2017 $0.09; Sep 21, 2017 $0.04; Dec 21, 2017 $0.11; Mar 22, 2018 $0.04; Jun 21, 2018 $0.09; Sep 14, 2018 $0.05; Dec 18, 2018 $0.12; Mar 21, 2019 $0.05; Jun 14, 2019 $0.07; Sep 25, 2019 $0.11; Dec 13, 2019 $0.11; Mar 26, 2020 $0.10; Jun 25, 2020 $0.09; Sep 24, 2020 $0.07; Dec 24, 2020 $0.09; Mar 25, 2021 $0.08; Jun 24, 2021 $0.06; Sep 23, 2021 $0.04; Dec 23, 2021 $0.10; Mar 25, 2022 $0.18; Jun 24, 2022 $0.11; Sep 23, 2022 $0.12; Dec 23, 2022 $0.18; Mar 24, 2023 $0.18; Jun 27, 2023 $0.15; Sep 22, 2023 $0.16; Dec 22, 2023 $0.32; Mar 21, 2024 $0.22; Jun 27, 2024 $0.22; Sep 26, 2024 $0.13; Dec 13, 2024 $0.14; Mar 27, 2025 $0.15; Jun 26, 2025 $0.13; Sep 25, 2025 $0.11; Dec 12, 2025 $0.19; Mar 26, 2026 $0.02. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2017201820192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Mar 26, 2026Mar 31, 2026$0.02
Dec 12, 2025Dec 31, 2025$0.19
Sep 25, 2025Sep 30, 2025$0.11
Jun 26, 2025Jun 30, 2025$0.13
Mar 27, 2025Mar 31, 2025$0.15
Dec 13, 2024Dec 31, 2024$0.14
Sep 26, 2024Sep 30, 2024$0.13
Jun 27, 2024Jun 28, 2024$0.22
Mar 21, 2024Mar 28, 2024$0.22
Dec 22, 2023Dec 29, 2023$0.32
Sep 22, 2023Sep 29, 2023$0.16
Jun 27, 2023Jun 30, 2023$0.15

See all 62 payments⁠

$10,000 in QQEW 10 years ago paid $962 in dividends.⁠

QQEW Risk

Risk pillarF14 out of 100Rank 95 of 99 in US Multifactor
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
16.5%
Annualised · 36 months to Oct 2026
How it’s calculated: standard deviation

The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.

Return above 3-month US Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
0.70
vs 3-month T-bills · to Oct 2026
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio

Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.

Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.

The largest fall from a peak to the low that followed.
−32.1%
Trough Oct 2022
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown

The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.

Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.

How strongly the fund’s returns move with its asset-class index.
1.10
vs its asset-class index
How it’s calculated: beta

The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.

FMP measures it over up to five years of monthly returns.

QQEW Cost

Compare QQEW and VYM

Overpaying vs VYM, tied cheapest in US Multifactor

$10,055

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • QQEW 0.55%

    $10,904

  • VYM 0.04% Tied cheapest

    $849

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • QQEW 0.55%
  • VYM 0.04%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.5K$5K$7.5K$10K$12.5K051015202530QQEW $10,904VYM $849

Year by year

YearQQEWVYMOverpaying
10$988$73$915
20$3,790$288$3,502
30$10,904$849$10,055

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