QQEW: FIRST TRUST NASDAQ-100 SELECT EQUAL WEIGHT ETF
What this ETF is trying to do
The FIRST TRUST NASDAQ-100 SELECT EQUAL WEIGHT ETF (ticker: QQEW) is an exchange-traded fund. While many funds give more power to the biggest companies, this ETF uses an "equal weight" approach. This means it tries to give the companies in the Nasdaq-100 a similar level of influence on the fund's performance.
What the numbers show
As of October 5, 2026, the current price of one share is $165.61. An estimated price from roughly one year ago was $142.79.
When looking at how this ETF has performed, it is important to look at two different numbers: price return (how much the share price changed) and total return (which includes both price changes and cash distributions).
• Year-to-Date (YTD): The price return is approximately 16.52%, while the total return is approximately 16.54%.
• One-Year: The price return was approximately 15.98%, and the total return was approximately 16.15%.
• Three-Year: The price return was approximately 61.60%, and the total return was approximately 63.70%.
Income and distribution explanation
Some investors look for ETFs that pay regular cash, known as distributions. This ETF has a distribution yield of approximately 0.13%. This is a relatively low percentage. The fund also had an irregular payout frequency, with only two distributions made over the last 12 months. Because the yield is low, this ETF may not be focused on providing high levels of cash income.
NAV erosion explanation
"NAV erosion" happens when the value of the underlying assets in a fund drops significantly over time. StockValueFinder uses an "erosion-risk score" to measure this risk. For QQEW, the erosion score is 100, and the label states "No price erosion detected." The severity is rated as "good," and there is no severe erosion-risk flag.
Pros
• Strong Growth: The fund has shown significant positive returns in its price and total return over one, three, and five-year periods.
• Low Erosion Risk: Data shows no detected price erosion.
Cons
• Low Income: The distribution yield is very low, meaning it provides little cash income.
• Irregular Payments: Distributions do not happen on a regular, predictable schedule.
Top Holdings
Because this is a partial list, these are the largest companies in the fund as of October 7, 2026:
• Micron Technology Inc (1.38%)
• Intuitive Surgical Inc (1.33%)
• Advanced Micro Devices Inc (1.32%)
• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc (1.32%)
• Biogen Inc (1.28%)
Beginner takeaway
QQEW is an ETF that focuses on the Nasdaq-100 using equal weighting. It has shown strong share-price growth over several years, but it offers very little cash income through distributions.
Top Holdings
Structured portfolio holdings supplied by the ETF data provider. These figures are not generated by the AI article.
| # | Holding | Ticker | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MICRON TECHNOLOGY INC | MU | 1.38% |
| 2 | INTUITIVE SURGICAL INC | ISRG | 1.33% |
| 3 | ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES INC | AMD | 1.32% |
| 4 | REGENERON PHARMACEUTICALS INC | REGN | 1.32% |
| 5 | BIOGEN INC | BIIB | 1.28% |
| 6 | APPLIED MATERIALS INC | AMAT | 1.27% |
| 7 | ASTRAZENECA PLC ADR | AZN | 1.22% |
| 8 | INTEL CORP | INTC | 1.21% |
| 9 | n/a | WBD | 1.21% |
| 10 | ROSS STORES INC | ROST | 1.21% |