The Invesco QQQ Trust provides exposure to a greater number of established technology firms.
Amid renewed tariff-induced volatility, among other factors, the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) slipped nearly 2.5% last week. That sparked fresh fears that current geopolitical and macroeconomic climates remain headwinds to growth stocks.
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust NYSEARCA: SPY is trading down 5.19%, and the NASDAQ 100, as tracked by the Invesco QQQ NASDAQ: QQQ, is down 8.2% year-to-date (YTD) as of March 28, 2025. The markets attempted a relief rally that was rejected at the 200-day moving average on the SPY.
Right now, there is a lot of uncertainty in the stock market. While stocks have bounced off their recent lows, the major market indices are still well off their highs and prone to volatility.
With March 2025 proving to be a turbulent chapter for the U.S. stock market, the technology sector is at the heart of the storm. What began as a year of cautious optimism has unraveled into a wave of selling pressure driven by tariff uncertainties, fading AI euphoria, and doubts about lofty valuations.
When mentioning the stock market's performance, the investment community usually focuses on the S&P 500 index. This broad index contains 500 large and profitable U.S. businesses.
It's been a turbulent first quarter for semiconductor stocks. Industry behemoth Nvidia (NVDA) shed more than 10% since the start of the year.
Europe's fiscal situation is deteriorating, and additional defense spending is needed, potentially leading to actions that could reduce US Big Tech earnings and valuation multiples. Network externalities are fragile; Europe could develop local alternatives to US Big Tech platforms, significantly affecting Big Tech's market share and profitability. Investors should monitor this risk closely, as reduced Big Tech earnings and valuation multiples could lead to a broader bear market in US tech stocks.
Markets are rebounding from a streak of weakness, and @ProsperTradingAcademy's Scott Bauer says investors will want to watch for key catalysts in the Big 3's technicals. He highlights levels to watch and options trades for Boeing (BA), Meta Platforms (META), and Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ).
Broadly speaking, U.S. companies remain devoted buyers of their own shares. New data from S&P Dow Jones Indices confirms that 2024 buybacks among members of the S&P 500 surged 18.5% on a year-over-year basis.
The Invesco QQQ Trust ETF has shown strong gains, but faces short-term risks due to macroeconomic factors and trade policies impacting tech stocks. China's AI ecosystem is advancing rapidly, with companies like DeepSeek and Alibaba making significant strides despite U.S. chip embargoes, thus benefiting KWEB. QQQ's higher valuation is justified by its superior return on equity compared to KWEB, reflecting better profitability and efficiency.
Despite recent price pullbacks, Invesco QQQ Trust ETF's valuation risk is still extremely high by historical standards. QQQ's valuation risks, when combined with other ongoing macroscopic uncertainties, make it ill-prepared for a hard-landing scenario. And the market underestimates the odds of such a scenario.