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Should Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index ETF (QQQE) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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The Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index ETF (QQQE - Free Report) was launched on March 21, 2012, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Direxion. It has amassed assets over $1.44 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Growth

Large cap companies usually have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Considered a more stable option, large cap companies boast more predictable cash flows and are less volatile than their mid and small cap counterparts.

Growth stocks have higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. While these are expected to grow faster than the broader market, they also have higher valuations. Something to keep in mind is the higher level of volatility that is affiliated with growth stocks. Even though growth stocks are more likely to outperform their value counterparts in strong bull markets, value stocks have a record of delivering better returns in almost all markets than growth stocks.

Costs

Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.35%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.58%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector -- about 42.8% of the portfolio. Industrials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Workday Inc-Class A (WDAY) accounts for about 1.41% of total assets, followed by Doordash Inc - A (DASH) and Airbnb Inc-Class A (ABNB).

The top 10 holdings account for about 13.26% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

QQQE seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index before fees and expenses. The NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index consists of companies in the NASDAQ-100 Index but each of the securities is initially set at a weight of 1.00% of the Index. The NASDAQ-100 Index includes 100 of the largest non-financial securities listed on NASDAQ based on capitalization.

The ETF return is roughly 19.16% so far this year and it's up approximately 18.85% in the last one year (as of 10/05/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $96.06 and $124.69.

The ETF has a beta of 1.09 and standard deviation of 17.31% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 103 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, QQQE is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF (VUG) and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ) track a similar index. While Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF has $234.61 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $506.48 billion. VUG has an expense ratio of 0.03% and QQQ charges 0.18%.

Bottom-Line

An increasingly popular option among retail and institutional investors, passively managed ETFs offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; they are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.

To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.

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