PFO vs QQQ
Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Income Opportunity Fund Inc vs Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1
Which is better, PFO or QQQ?
Preferred Stock against Large Cap Growth.
QQQ led over 1Y, 3Y, 5Y and the full window.
MarketXLS is not an investment adviser. This comparison is generated automatically from market data and is for information only. A Best mark means the better reading on that one measure, not a recommendation to buy.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Metric | PFO | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Expense Ratio | - | 0.18% |
| AUM | $132M | $486.1B |
| Dividend Yield | 6.71% | 0.44% |
| Holdings | 260 | 107 |
| YTD Return | -0.09% | +17.54%Best |
| 1Y Return | +3.32% | +25.59%Best |
| 3Y Return (annualized) | +13.55% | +24.63%Best |
| 5Y Return (annualized) | -0.28% | +14.18%Best |
| Volatility (annualized) | 19.1%Best | 30.6% |
| Max Drawdown | -83.2% | -83.0%Best |
| $10,000 over 5 years | $9,861 | $19,407Best |
| Fund Family | Flaherty & Crumrine | Invesco (US) |
| Category | Allocation/Balanced | Equity |
| Style | Preferred Stock | Large Cap Growth |
| Inception | Feb 13, 1992 | Mar 10, 1999 |
Not shown on this pair: Top 10 Weight.
Volatility and max drawdown are measured over the window both funds cover: Mar 10, 1999 to Sep 4, 2026 (27.5 years).
PFO vs QQQ growth
Month-end closes. Both lines start at 0% in the first month shown, so the gap between them is the difference in growth across that window. The full view is available from the range buttons; it is not the opening view here because over the whole period one of these two funds moves so much further than the other that its line would sit flat on the axis.
PFO vs QQQ Performance
Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Income Opportunity Fund Inc (PFO) is an ETF from Flaherty & Crumrine and Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 (QQQ) is an ETF from Invesco (US). Over the past year PFO returned +3.32% while QQQ returned +25.59%. Year to date, PFO is down 0.09% versus a gain of 17.54% for QQQ.
Over three years, PFO compounded at +13.55% per year against +24.63% for QQQ; over five years the annualized figures are -0.28% and +14.18% respectively. Across the full 28-year window we track, QQQ has the edge at +13.05% annualized vs +0.50%.
Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Risk: Volatility and Drawdowns
QQQ has been the more volatile fund, with annualized monthly volatility of 30.6% compared with 19.1% for PFO. Lower volatility generally means a smoother ride, though it often comes with lower long-run returns.
The deepest peak-to-trough decline in our data was -83.2% for PFO and -83.0% for QQQ. Drawdown depth is what each fund did in the worst stretch of the window measured above.
The two funds' monthly returns correlate at 0.19. They move largely independently of each other.
Holdings Overlap
At least 0.2% of QQQ's money is in holdings PFO also owns.
Only one direction is shown: for PFO, our book for it lists positions totalling 118.7% of the fund, which is what a leveraged book looks like and is not a denominator we can divide by.
We cannot see either book well enough to say how much of this pair is duplicated.
The two holdings books were reported 250 days apart, PFO as of Nov 28, 2025 and QQQ as of Aug 5, 2026, so some of the difference between them is the time between the two reports rather than the funds.
1 positions in common, counted across the 177 positions we hold weights for in PFO and 102 in QQQ, against full books of 260 and 107.
Top Shared Holdings
| Stock | Weight in PFO | Weight in QQQ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| XELXcel Energy Inc. | 0.40% | 0.21% | 0.19% |
You are not choosing between two funds in isolation.
Whichever of PFO and QQQ you pick has to sit alongside everything else you own. Add the rest and see what the combination actually holds.
Free for up to 10 holdings. No account needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which performed better, PFO or QQQ?
Over the past year PFO returned +3.32% vs +25.59% for QQQ, so QQQ leads on 1-year performance. Over the longest common window we track (28 years), PFO annualized +0.50% vs +13.05% for QQQ. Past performance does not guarantee future results. This is information, not a recommendation.
Which is riskier, PFO or QQQ?
QQQ has been the more volatile fund at 30.6% annualized versus 19.1% for PFO. Worst drawdown: PFO -83.2% vs QQQ -83.0%.
Should I hold both PFO and QQQ?
PFO and QQQ have a monthly-return correlation of 0.19, so their returns are far enough apart for the mix to behave differently from either one alone. This is information, not a recommendation.
Which pays a higher dividend, PFO or QQQ?
PFO yields 6.71% while QQQ yields 0.44%, so PFO currently pays the higher dividend yield.
Is QQQ better than PFO?
QQQ led over 1Y, 3Y, 5Y and the full window. Which one suits a particular account depends on what it is for. This is information, not a recommendation.