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Launched · SEC filings

HCM Defender 100 Index ETF

QQHNYSE ArcaHCMF

$79.16−1.50 (−1.86%)

As of Nov 2, 2026, 3:59 PM ET

F24/ 100

Rank 22 of 25 in Technology (Broad)

F24/100Rank 22 of 25inTechnology (Broad)
Intraday session: down, 79 prints from 80.66 to 79.16. Range 79.16 to 81.76. Use the arrow keys to read each point.79.5080.0081.0081.5010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
1.00%
Fund size
$713M
1Y total return
−0.2%
Yield · Last 12 months
0.20%
Holdings
97
Avg volume · 30D
70.9K sh
52W range
low $68.57high $91.05
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net QQH Grade

F

Score 24 out of 100

Category
Technology (Broad)⁠
Rank
22 of 25
Six-pillar profile for QQH. Scores out of 100: Cost 0, Risk 50, Mission 98, Tradability 40, Holdings 32, Durability 36. Strongest: Mission (98). Weakest: Cost (0). Leans toward Mission.

Score 24 of 100 falls in the F 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.
    F0 out of 100
    Rank 25 of 25

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    A98 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 12

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    C50 out of 100
    Rank 14 of 25

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    C40 out of 100
    Rank 15 of 25

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    D32 out of 100
    Rank 21 of 24

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    D36 out of 100
    Rank 18 of 25

Our read on QQH

ETF.net Research

In short

FTech exposure with a built-in escape hatch: QQH follows an in-house index that steps from fully invested to 70/30, then 40/60, then all cash as its trend signal breaks down. Rules-based market timing in an index wrapper, for 0.98%.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks to generally track the HCM Defender 100 Index before fees and expenses. It invests at least 80% of net assets in index securities, while the index uses a proprietary trend-based allocation among technology equities and cash or cash equivalents.

Why people hold it

  • The de-risking ladder is written into the prospectus with hard numbers: 3.5% below the BuyLine signal moves the index to 70/30 equity/cash, 6.5% to 40/60, and 12% to all cash or cash equivalents.sec.govhowardcm.com
  • Getting back in has a rule too: the index reinvests in equities only after the reference large-cap index closes above the signal for five straight sessions, so one green day does not flip it.howardcm.com
  • No manager discretion to second-guess. The equity sleeve is the largest, most liquid US technology names, and the shift triggers live in the index methodology, not in a trading desk's judgment.howardcm.com
  • Running since 2019, so the mechanism has been through real tech drawdowns rather than backtests alone.

Worth knowing

  • At 0.98% it sits above the technology category median (25 funds measured), and far above plain tech trackers like XLK at 0.08% and VGT at 0.09%. The signal is what you are paying up for.
  • The trigger watches a broad US large-cap index, not tech itself, so the move to cash can lag or sidestep a selloff that hits technology alone.sec.gov
  • Defender describes a mechanism, not an outcome: between triggers the fund can be fully invested, and the index is built and maintained by HCM using a model it does not publish.howardcm.com

QQH Performance

Launched Oct 9, 2019

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

Not enough history yet.
QQH$9,976
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,199
Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. QQH $9,976. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$9,000$10,000$11,000Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 30, 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 QQH. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodQQH
Year to date+4.3%
1 month−7.9%
3 months+0.8%
1 year−0.2%
3 yearsper year+22.8%
5 yearsper year+8.5%
10 yearsFund is under 10 years oldper yearNo data

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 QQH
YearReturn barQQH
2026 YTD+4.3%
2025+15.7%
2024+33.6%
2023+48.0%

QQH in the news

QQH 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 Oct 30, 2026.
0.20%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$0.16Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.16 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Annual

Distribution history

2019–2026

One bar per payment. 4 payments from 2019 to 2026 YTD. Dec 13, 2019 $0.06; Dec 15, 2023 $0.14; Dec 16, 2024 $0.16; Dec 16, 2025 $0.16. Use the arrow keys to read each point.20192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Dec 16, 2025Dec 22, 2025$0.16
Dec 16, 2024Dec 23, 2024$0.16
Dec 15, 2023Dec 26, 2023$0.14
Dec 13, 2019Dec 23, 2019$0.06

$10,000 in QQH 5 years ago paid $81.40 in dividends.

QQH Risk

Risk pillarC50 out of 100Rank 14 of 25 in Technology (Broad)
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
20.8%
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.
0.88
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.
−41.9%
Trough Dec 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.
1.37
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.

QQH Cost

Compare QQH and XLK

Overpaying vs XLK, cheapest in Technology (Broad)

$16,999

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

  • QQH 1.00%

    $18,688

  • XLK 0.08% Cheapest

    $1,689

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • QQH 1.00%
  • XLK 0.08%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K$20K051015202530QQH $18,688XLK $1,689

Year by year

YearQQHXLKOverpaying
10$1,763$147$1,616
20$6,625$575$6,050
30$18,688$1,689$16,999

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