QQQ vs STLD Stock Comparison

Compare QQQ and STLD across AIQ Score, fundamentals, valuation, momentum, risk, analyst expectations and current market evidence.

Market data as of Sep 11, 2026 market close· AIQ score gap 0 points
QQQ
Equity
vs
STLD
Basic Materials
QQQ
Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1
Price
$715
Day move
+0.87%
AIQ Score
56/100
Best edge
Quality
Sector
Equity
STLD
Steel Dynamics, Inc.
Price
$240
Day move
+1.14%
AIQ Score
56/100
Best edge
Value
Sector
Basic Materials

What is the main difference between QQQ and STLD?

QQQ and STLD are close on the current AIQ evidence, so the better fit depends more on objective, risk tolerance and valuation preference than on a single headline score.

AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison

Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 vs Steel Dynamics, Inc.

Data as of Sep 11, 2026· market close· STLD (stock) vs QQQ (ETF)· Coverage 66/66 fields· 42/42 directly comparable· Moderate confidence
AIQ VerdictFragileAIQ Comparison Conviction 3/10

QQQ and STLD are effectively level

QQQ and STLD are effectively level on the AIQ Score; the factor table below shows where each one holds its advantage.

Evidence agreement: 3 of 4Comparison trend: Weakening
QQQ

Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1

AIQ Score
56/100
AIQ Edge Score
8/10
STLD

Steel Dynamics, Inc.

AIQ Score
56/100
AIQ Edge Score
8/10

The Algovestiq AIQ Score does not currently separate QQQ and STLD as of Sep 11, 2026. Both names are scored on the same 0–100 scale across Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience, and the factor table below shows where each one holds its advantage.

Compare Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 and Steel Dynamics, Inc. across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.

Currently unavailable

Performance over time

Price-return comparison using available daily close history.

QQQ
+88.3%
STLD
+271.2%

Total return comparison

Growth of $10,000

QQQ $18,832 · STLD $37,119

Based on available close-price history. Distribution reinvestment is not added unless already reflected in the source series.

Compare QQQ and STLD against another ticker

Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.

Basic: 2 symbols·Explorer: 3 symbols·Pro and Premium: 5 symbols·Your limit: 2

AIQ Factor Divergence

Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.

QQQ advantage
0
STLD advantage
  • Quality83 vs 48
    QQQ +35
  • Value30 vs 58
    STLD +28
  • Risk Resilience75 vs 52
    QQQ +23
  • Momentum45 vs 66
    STLD +21

Neither name separates cleanly on the covered dimensions.

What changed since the last close

Latest scored session 2026-09-10, compared against the prior scored session 2026-09-09.

QQQ-5 AIQ

Largest factor move: Momentum -17

No new signals fired.

STLD+2 AIQ

Largest factor move: Momentum +8

No new signals fired.

QQQ's lead narrowed by 7 AIQ points in the latest snapshot.

Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — QQQ and STLD both carry a full feed there.

Which one fits your objective

The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.

Balanced

Even

Neither separates on the overall score.

Growth

Even

Growth figures are not covered for both names.

Value

STLD

STLD on the peer-relative Value factor, by 28 points.

Momentum

STLD

STLD on the Momentum factor, by 21 points.

Lower downside

QQQ

QQQ on Risk Resilience, by 23 points.

Analyst upside

Even

Analyst targets are level or not covered for both names.

AIQ vs Wall Street

Where the systematic read and the analyst consensus line up — and where they do not.

MeasureQQQSTLDNote
Implied upside to target+10%Level
Target dispersion+41.7%Lower is tighter analyst agreement
ConsensusBuyContext, not a primary driver
Analysts covering6Higher coverage generally improves confidence

Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

AIQ Agreement Matrix

How each independent group of evidence reads the pair.

Evidence groupFavorsReading
AIQ ScoreEven56 vs 56
FundamentalsNot coveredNot covered
ValuationSTLDValue 30 vs 58
TechnicalsSTLDPrice vs 50-day 0.6% vs -1%; vs 200-day 7.5% vs 12%
Risk ResilienceQQQRisk Resilience 75 vs 52
Analyst expectationsNot coveredNot covered

AIQ Decision Stability

Fragile

The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.

  • The AIQ gap is narrow at 0 points. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • The leader's advantage has been narrowing. (argues the conclusion is provisional)

How the comparison changed

119 daily snapshots · May 4 Sep 10

QQQ lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 21 to 0 points over 30 sessions.

May 4QQQ leads above the line · STLD leads belowSep 10
Today
Level
56 vs 56
7 sessions ago
QQQ +6
59 vs 53
30 sessions ago
QQQ +21
64 vs 43
90 sessions ago
QQQ +9
50 vs 41

The lead changed hands 3 times in this window, most recently on Aug 4 when QQQ moved ahead of STLD.

AIQ Signal Divergence

Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.

QQQConflicted

2 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted

  • Golden Cross Active bullish, trend, long horizon (7.75%)
  • EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish bullish, trend, medium horizon
  • ATR Contraction - Coiling neutral, volatility, short horizon (1.27%)
STLD

2 bullish / 0 bearish / 1 neutral

  • Golden Cross Active bullish, trend, long horizon (14.44%)
  • ATR Expansion - Breakout Mode neutral, volatility, short horizon (3.53%)
  • MACD Bullish Crossover bullish, momentum, short horizon

Price vs model alignment

Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.

QQQDivergence

Price is up while the AIQ Score moved down 5 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price +0.87%, AIQ -5 points).

STLDConfirmed strength

Price and the AIQ Score both moved up over the latest session (price +1.14%, AIQ +2 points).

The full evidence

Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.

Fundamentals

Split
MetricQQQSTLD
Revenue growth (YoY)17%
EPS growth (YoY)32.6%
Gross margin14.6%
Operating margin10.6%
Return on equity (TTM)17.6%
Debt to equity0.44

Performance

Split across windows
MetricQQQSTLD
1 week (5 sessions)-0.1%-4.3%
1 month (20 sessions)-2.1%-9.9%
3 months (63 sessions)2.2%-11.1%
6 months (126 sessions)16.6%28.7%
Year to date15.4%39.9%
1 year (252 sessions)22.4%76.2%

Technicals

STLD has the stronger structure
MetricQQQSTLD
RSI (14)48.169.4
ADX (14)9.813.2
Price vs 50-day0.6%-1%
Price vs 200-day7.5%12%
Volatility (1M, annualized)13%46.1%

Risk

QQQ is the more resilient
MetricQQQSTLD
Beta1.421.17
Sharpe ratio0.921.72
Sortino ratio1.382.71
Max drawdown-12.2%-22.6%
Current drawdown-5%-16.2%
Annualized volatility19.7%36.6%
Value at risk (95%)-1.9%-3.3%

Straight answers

Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.

Which has more analyst upside, QQQ or STLD?

Analyst price targets imply not covered upside for QQQ and +10% for STLD. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

Which is better value, QQQ or STLD?

STLD is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. STLD on the peer-relative Value factor, by 28 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.

Which has stronger growth, QQQ or STLD?

Growth figures are not covered for both names. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.

Which has stronger momentum, QQQ or STLD?

STLD on the Momentum factor, by 21 points. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.

Which is riskier, QQQ or STLD?

QQQ is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. QQQ on Risk Resilience, by 23 points. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.

Is QQQ more profitable than STLD?

Margin data is not comparable for both names in the current snapshot.

What do the current signals say about QQQ and STLD?

QQQ: 2 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. STLD: 2 bullish / 0 bearish / 1 neutral. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on QQQ is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon). On STLD it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).

Continue your research

This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.

How this comparison is scored

The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.

The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.

How to use side-by-side comparison →

This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.