QQQ trading strategies, backtested
Invesco QQQ Trust — tracks the Nasdaq-100 — the classic tech-heavy growth index. Every DeployQuant template run on QQQ over 5.5 years of minute data, same engine, same window, sorted by return.
| Strategy | CAGR | max DD | Sharpe | trades | win rate | final value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly Entry + 7% Target | 16.2% | −19.4% | 0.89 | 103 | 31% | $22,922 |
| RSI(2) Dip Snapback | 14.0% | −14.3% | 0.97 | 156 | 70% | $20,613 |
| First-to-Last Day of Month | 13.4% | −36.1% | 0.71 | 67 | 60% | $20,011 |
| Golden Cross (SMA 50/200) | 12.6% | −22.3% | 0.83 | 2 | 50% | $19,318 |
| 200-Day SMA Regime Filter | 11.9% | −20.0% | 0.87 | 10 | 20% | $18,646 |
| SMA-200 Trend + 15% Trailing Stop | 10.3% | −26.7% | 0.70 | 4 | 50% | $17,152 |
| SMA 10/50 Trend | 8.7% | −20.8% | 0.66 | 18 | 39% | $15,863 |
| 20-Day Momentum + Trailing Stop | 8.7% | −26.5% | 0.67 | 7 | 57% | $15,865 |
| EMA 12/26 Trend | 8.0% | −23.7% | 0.61 | 21 | 43% | $15,304 |
| 3-Month Momentum Switch | 7.8% | −21.6% | 0.62 | 11 | 45% | $15,143 |
| Drawdown Dip Buyer + 8% Target | 5.5% | −28.6% | 0.41 | 4 | 100% | $13,481 |
| RSI(14) Mean Reversion | 5.1% | −24.4% | 0.39 | 14 | 71% | $13,153 |
| Buy & hold QQQ | 15.8% | −34.3% | 0.79 | — | — | $22,518 |
Build it from blocks (or type it in English), backtest it on 5.5 years of minute data in seconds, tweak any parameter, then paper trade it on live data. No card, no broker needed to start.
Frequently asked questions
What was the best strategy for QQQ?
Of the 12 templates tested on QQQ over 2021-01-04–2026-07-17, the strongest by CAGR was weekly 7% target at 16.2% (max drawdown 19.4%), versus 15.8% for buy-and-hold. Best-in-hindsight is not a forecast — check drawdowns and trade counts before drawing conclusions.
Did any strategy beat buying and holding QQQ?
1 of 12 templates beat QQQ buy-and-hold (15.8% CAGR) on this window; 11 of 12 had a shallower maximum drawdown than holding (34.3%).
Other broad index etfs
Backtests are hypothetical, computed by DeployQuant's engine on minute-resolution consolidated US market data (2021-01-04 to 2026-07-17, $10,000 starting capital, no margin, fees and slippage not modeled) and do not guarantee future results. Nothing on this page is investment advice. Live trading involves risk of loss.