Lower-fee equivalent ETFs are the better way to hold the same exposures. The SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF beats SPY, the Invesco Nasdaq 100 ETF beats QQQ, SPDR Gold MiniShares beats GLD, and the iShares Gold Trust Micro beats IAU. x.com
Marcos Milla
Former Analyst at the Federal Reserve, ETF/Stock Newsletter Author
The Invesco Nasdaq 100 ETF is the better choice for long-term holding because its expense ratio is 0.15% a year versus 0.18% for QQQ. Investing steadily, such as $500 a month starting at age 25, could let an investor retire much earlier than expected. x.com
Low-cost growth ETFs can build serious wealth through exposure to the best companies and strongest trends, without managing individual stocks. A clean setup is a core of VOO or VTI, a growth tilt through SCHG, VUG or QQQM, and an aggressive tech tilt through VGT. The ranking is SCHG, VUG, QQQM, SPYG, VGT, MGK, then IWF, which is solid but costlier. Many overlap, so owning all adds little diversification, and growth-heavy funds can be hit hard by rising rates, tech selloffs or rotation to value. … Show more
QQQM is the cheaper way to own the Nasdaq 100. It holds exactly the same portfolio as QQQ but charges a 0.15% expense ratio versus 0.20%, a 25% difference. On $10,000 that is $15 a year in fees instead of $20, a gap that adds up with bigger amounts over decades. x.com
ETFs are a phenomenal starting point for new investors because they diversify, have delivered great historical returns and teach how markets move. New investors rarely find a 10x stock right away, and even if they do, they usually lack the conviction and emotional control to hold it. With money in broad funds such as S&P 500, Nasdaq-100, total-market, growth, value and dividend ETFs, they can spend their time studying companies and raising income to contribute more each month. x.com
Holding the Nasdaq 100 long term is a rational choice: buying QQQM with regular dollar-cost averaging will very likely beat 80% of active stock pickers over time. x.com
The Nasdaq 100 looks set for a persistent uptrend after hitting a new record, which favors 3x leveraged exposure through TQQQ. After three choppy months, funds are refocusing on what matters while positioning and sentiment remain lopsided and weak, making a rise likelier than more chop and possibly another major bull run. Leveraged ETFs compound in steady uptrends but lose to friction in chop, as TQQQ's 136% gain against QQQ's 35% in April-May showed. Gulf tensions still need to end. x.com x.com
Leveraged semiconductor and Nasdaq 100 ETFs should beat a 3x position in the average individual name because market correlations are falling and dispersion is rising. Low correlation among basket members reduces the volatility drag that hurts levered ETFs, as seen when CPU stocks pumped while memory dumped. x.com
The Nasdaq-100 is exposed to contagion as specific mispriced stocks implode, while the S&P 500 would be hit less. This is not a general bearish view on equities; it comes from idiosyncratic mispricings first. @quantian1 argues that if those shorts pay off, the S&P 500 would probably fall about 30%. x.com
Buying a broad index fund consistently over many years is one of the best strategies for most investors because it is simple, diversified and easy to stick with. US funds tracking the S&P 500 or Nasdaq-100, optionally with non-US exposure, have historically returned around 8-10% a year on average for patient holders. They are less volatile than individual growth stocks, need little upkeep and spare investors from reacting to news. UK pensions locked until 55-57 make holding long easier. x.com … Show more
Short dealer gamma could amplify SPY and QQQ selling as liquidity drains. SPY's first long-gamma strike is 745 next week, a possible magnet; QQQ has no long-gamma floor in frame, with vanna near 700. A bottom looks likelier next week than this week, with chop between. When strength returns, probably late October, easing should flood equities sooner than most expect: a strong November, stronger December and a Santa rally, with high beta leading into year-end. Its early hourly turn could reverse. … Show more