While index funds have become so popular that some prominent investors like Michael Burry now view them as a long-term risk for the entire market, they have also been widely successful, with few examples as impressive as Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 (NASDAQ: QQQ).
Specifically, QQQ shares were changing hands at $107.54 one decade ago – shortly before one of the most remarkable phases of the most remarkable rally of the century started – and were, by the latest close on June 18, 2026, at $740.62.
Given the decade-long 587.48% upsurge, a $1,000 investment made before many of the modern big tech staples came into the mainstream would have led to $5,874 in profits, and a stake in the exchange-traded fund (ETF) would have grown to $6,874.
The success of the QQQ ETF can be directly attributed to the staggering rise – and growing dominance – of big tech within the Nasdaq-100: the popular index that tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq exchange.
What is next for the QQQ ETF in 2026
Simultaneously, as large as growth in the previous decade has been, an equally impressive upsurge might be in the cards for the rest of 2026.
In the short-term, new fast-track Nasdaq rules mean that the index will see the inclusion of a new $2 trillion company before July begins: Elon Musk’s SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX).
This change is likely to drive Nasdaq-100 – and QQQ by extension – higher rapidly, as the firm is backed by substantial investor hype, will benefit from automatic fund buying, and has a skewed supply and demand balance due to uncommonly low initial public offering (IPO) float.
Elsewhere, the long-term performance of QQQ depends on how correct the bullish consensus about artificial intelligence (AI) proves to be and whether market veterans like Michael Burry prove right in foreseeing a steep crash once the demographic shifts trigger sustained selling.
Featured image via Shutterstock
