TQQQ and SSO Aim for Above-Average Returns, But There's a Clear Winner for Investors

3 months ago 63

Katie Brockman, The Motley Fool

Sun, December 21, 2025 astatine 4:05 PM CST 5 min read

  • TQQQ charges a somewhat little disbursal ratio, but it carries acold much hazard than SSO.

  • TQQQ has delivered a marginally stronger one-year return, portion besides experiencing a importantly deeper five-year drawdown.

  • TQQQ leans heavy into tech, portion SSO is much diversified crossed aggregate sectors of the market.

  • These 10 stocks could mint the adjacent question of millionaires ›

The ProShares UltraPro QQQ ETF (NASDAQ:TQQQ) differs from the ProShares Ultra S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT:SSO) by offering higher leverage, greater tech exposure, and notably higher volatility.

Both funds prosecute leveraged regular returns, with SSO aiming for 2x the S&P 500 and TQQQ targeting 3x the Nasdaq-100. This matchup spotlights 2 assertive ETFs for short-term traders oregon tactical investors seeking amplified scale exposure, but their hazard profiles and assemblage tilts diverge sharply.

Metric

SSO

TQQQ

Issuer

ProShares

ProShares

Expense ratio

0.87%

0.82%

1-yr instrumentality (as of Dec. 16, 2025))

16.36%

16.60%

Dividend yield

0.69%

0.72%

Beta (5Y monthly)

2.02

3.69

AUM

$7.3 billion

$30.9 billion

Beta measures terms volatility comparative to the S&P 500. The 1-yr instrumentality represents full instrumentality implicit the trailing 12 months.

TQQQ offers advantages for some fee-conscious and income-driven investors, with a little disbursal ratio and higher yield. However, some of these factors chiefly interaction semipermanent investors, and these peculiar leveraged ETFs are champion suited arsenic short-term investments.

Metric

SSO

TQQQ

Max drawdown (5 y)

-46.73%

-81.65%

Growth of $1,000 implicit 5 years

$2,585

$2,459

TQQQ’s 3x leverage has driven stronger one-year gains, but its five-year max drawdown is astir treble SSO’s, highlighting overmuch greater downside risk. Over the past 5 years, some ETFs astir doubled an archetypal $1,000, but SSO did truthful with little terrible declines.

TQQQ seeks to present 3x the regular returns of the Nasdaq-100, making it highly concentrated successful exertion (55% of the fund's full assets), with further value successful connection services (17%) and user cyclicals (13%).

The money holds 101 stocks, with its largest stakes successful Nvidia, Microsoft, and Apple. Its regular leverage reset and tech-heavy absorption mean crisp swings and the imaginable for accelerated losses if tech underperforms.

SSO, by contrast, offers 2x regular vulnerability to the S&P 500, spreading hazard crossed a broader beingness of 503 holdings. Its apical holdings reflector those of TQQQ, but SSO’s assemblage premix is much diversified with exertion making up 35% of the fund, financials astatine 13%, and user cyclical astatine 11%. Both funds usage a regular leverage reset, which tin erode returns if held semipermanent and volatility spikes.


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