Analysis period: 2024-12-30 to 2025-12-27
Cite This Comparison
"ETH vs QQQ: Performance Comparison." Gale Finance, December 29, 2025. https://gale.finance/compare/eth-vs-qqq Free to use with attribution. Please link back to this page or gale.finance.
Relative Performance (Normalized to 100)
Normalized to 100 at start date for comparison
Key Takeaways
- Raw returns: QQQ outperformed with 21.6% total return vs -13.5% for ETH.
- Risk-adjusted (Sharpe): QQQ had better risk-adjusted returns with a Sharpe ratio of 0.78 vs 0.12 for ETH.
- Volatility: QQQ was less volatile at 23.7% annualized vs 75.7% for ETH.
- Max drawdown: QQQ had a shallower max drawdown of -22.8% vs -60.1% for ETH.
Correlation Analysis
ETH and QQQ are weakly correlated over the past 6 months. With a correlation of 0.08, these assets show some independence, offering moderate diversification when held together.
| Metric | Metric | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Current (30-day) | 0.13 | |
| Average (full period) | 0.08 | |
| Minimum | -0.22 | |
| Maximum | 0.40 |
Correlation measures how closely two assets move together. Values near +1 indicate strong co-movement, near 0 indicates independence, and negative values indicate inverse movement.
Investment Comparison
If you invested $10,000 in each asset on December 30, 2024:
Difference: $3,510.23 (QQQ ahead)
Risk Analysis
ETH experienced its maximum drawdown of -60.1% from 2025-01-07 to 2025-04-09. It took 103 days to recover.
QQQ experienced its maximum drawdown of -22.8% from 2025-02-19 to 2025-04-08. It took 77 days to recover.
Smaller drawdowns and faster recoveries indicate lower downside risk and greater resilience during market stress.
Sharpe Ratio
The Sharpe ratio measures return per unit of risk (volatility). A higher Sharpe indicates better risk-adjusted performance. QQQ delivered 6.5x more return per unit of risk than ETH.
A Sharpe above 1.0 is generally considered good, above 2.0 is excellent. Negative Sharpe means the asset underperformed the risk-free rate.
Sortino Ratio
The Sortino ratio measures return per unit of downside risk. Unlike Sharpe, it only penalizes negative volatility. QQQ had better downside-adjusted returns.
A higher Sortino is better. It's particularly useful for assets with asymmetric volatility (big gains, smaller losses). Downside volatility: ETH 49.2% vs QQQ 18.2%.
Understanding Volatility
ETH's annualized volatility of 75.7% means it typically moves ±3.96% on any given day.
QQQ's annualized volatility of 23.7% means it typically moves ±1.49% on any given day.
For comparison, the S&P 500 typically has 15-18% annualized volatility, translating to roughly ±1% daily moves. Higher volatility means larger potential gains but also larger potential losses.
Performance Over Time
| Metric | ETH | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Days | -1.7% | 1.7% |
| 90 Days | -28.1% | 4.8% |
| 180 Days | 19.2% | 14.1% |
| 1 Year | N/A | N/A |
Shorter time frames can show different leaders as market conditions change. Consider your investment horizon when comparing performance.
Full Comparison
| Metric | ETH | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return | -13.5% | 21.6% |
| Annualized Volatility | 75.7% | 23.7% |
| Sharpe Ratio | 0.12 | 0.78 |
| Sortino Ratio | 0.19 | 1.01 |
| Max Drawdown | -60.1% | -22.8% |
| Avg Correlation to S&P 500 | 0.02 | 0.96 |