Nasdaq-100 Return Calculator
Live Nasdaq-100 Index data, historical backtests since 1986, and a growth projection at its long-term average return.
About Nasdaq-100 Index
The Nasdaq-100 tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq exchange. Launched in January 1985, it is dominated by technology names such as Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon and Alphabet, which is why it tends to rise faster than the S&P 500 in bull markets and fall harder in downturns.
- Launched
- January 1985
- Constituents
- 100 non-financial Nasdaq companies
- Weighting
- Modified market cap
- Tracking ETF
- QQQ
Hypothetical growth
What an investment in Nasdaq-100 could grow to if it keeps earning its long-term average return.
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Frequently asked questions
How is the Nasdaq-100 different from the Nasdaq Composite?+
The Nasdaq-100 holds only the 100 largest non-financial companies on the Nasdaq exchange. The Nasdaq Composite holds essentially every stock listed on Nasdaq, more than 3,000 companies. Because the largest companies dominate both, their returns are similar, but the Nasdaq-100 is more concentrated in mega-cap technology.
Which ETF tracks the Nasdaq-100?+
The Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) is the largest ETF tracking the Nasdaq-100. Invesco also offers QQQM, a lower-cost version aimed at long-term investors. Both hold the same 100 stocks.
Does this Nasdaq-100 calculator include dividends?+
No. The Nasdaq-100 Index is a price index, so the figures here reflect index level only. A real investment through an ETF that tracks it would also have collected dividends, which historically add roughly 1% to 2% per year for broad US indexes.
Where does the Nasdaq-100 price data come from?+
Historical and live prices for the index are fetched from a market data feed and cached for one hour, so the numbers on this page track the current market with at most a short delay. The backtest uses daily data for periods under five years and weekly data for longer periods.
What annual return does the hypothetical growth section use?+
It starts at Nasdaq-100's actual average annual return over all available history (since 1986), the same figure as the "Since inception" row of the "If you invested" table. The "Losses and gains" section above it shows the longest stretch it stayed below a previous high and its best and worst calendar years, as a reminder of how uneven the ride to that average was. Because the index is a price index, that average excludes dividends, which have historically added roughly 1% to 2% per year. Past returns are not a forecast, so change the rate to test more conservative or optimistic scenarios. Remember that inflation of around 2% to 3% per year reduces the real purchasing power of any nominal projection.