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In an effort to stimulate purchases and keep demand afloat amid rising interest rates, Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has implemented a series of price cuts across some of its most popular vehicles. Ranging from 15% to 18%, these lowered prices now appear on Tesla's bottom line as margins

Sept. 4 marked the silver anniversary of Google and its parent, Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG). The company was founded 25 years ago this month, ushering in a paradigm shift in the world of internet search. In a blog post last week, CEO Sundar Pichai marveled at the tech

U.S. stock index futures dipped on Tuesday, after starting the week on a strong footing, on caution ahead of a crucial inflation reading that could offer clues on when the Federal Reserve is set to wind down its interest-rate hikes.

Wall Street has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride since the start of 2020. Investors experienced the quickest bear market decline in history during the COVID-19 crash in 2020, as well as a period of unfettered exuberance in 2021, which sent all three major indexes to re

Asian stock markets edged up on Tuesday while comments from central banks in China and Japan interrupted the dollar's ascent, giving traders a breather ahead of U.S. inflation data that could influence when or if the Federal Reserve raises rates further.

A state governor in Mexico said on Monday that Tesla and its suppliers would invest $15 billion over the next two years in a factory that is still under construction, an amount that is triple what Mexican officials previously announced.

Shares of Tesla TSLA soared +10% on Monday primarily attributed to an upgrade from Morgan Stanley MS, who is bullish on the EV pioneer's AI capabilities raising their price target to $400 a share. 

The Invesco QQQ Trust ( NASDAQ:QQQ) and the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund ( NYSEARCA:XLK) are two of the biggest and best-known technology ETFs out there. They’ve also been two of the market’s best ETFs to own over the past decade. With the tech sector surging in 2023, both have posted excellent total returns in 2023 so far, with QQQ up 40.8% and XLK up 41.3%. So, what’s the difference between these top tech ETFs, and is one better than the other? What are QQQ and XLK’s Strategies? While these are both tech-centric ETFs, their investment universes are somewhat different. QQQ invests in the Nasdaq 100 Index, the largest 100 non-financial stocks in the Nasdaq ( NDX ). Meanwhile, XLK invests in the technology sector of the S&P 500 ( SPX ).  Below, we’ll discuss how this plays out in each fund’s holdings.  Comparison of Portfolios QQQ owns 101 stocks, and its top 10 holdings make up 48.4% of the index. Below, you’ll find an overview of QQQ’s top 10 holdings using TipRanks’ holdings tool. As you can see, QQQ gives investors exposure to the market’s top mega-cap tech stocks like Apple ( NASDAQ:AAPL ), Microsoft ( NASDAQ:MSFT ), Amazon ( NASDAQ:AMZN ), Nvidia ( NASDAQ:NVDA ), Meta Platforms ( NASDAQ:META ), Alphabet ( NASDAQ:GOOG ) ( NASDAQ:GOOGL ), and Tesla ( NASDAQ:TSLA ).  It’s also important to note that while the Nasdaq is a technology-heavy index, there are also plenty of non-technology companies that comprise the index, and several of these companies can be found just outside of QQQ’s top holdings. For example, Costco ( NASDAQ:COST ) and Pepsi ( NASDAQ:PEP ) are the fund’s 11th- and 12th-largest holdings, with weightings of approximately 2% each. This isn’t a bad thing, as these stocks have been phenomenal performers for years, but investors should simply be aware that there are some non-tech stocks here, even though "the Q’s" have become synonymous with technology for many investors.  XLK is slightly different. It focuses specifically on the technology sector of the S&P 500, so there are no non-tech stocks within its holdings. It’s also a bit more concentrated than QQQ -- it owns 65 stocks, and its top 10 holdings make up 69.2% of the fund. Below, you’ll find an overview of XLK’s top 10 holdings. As you can see, XLK has large positions in some of the same mega-cap tech stocks that QQQ owns, like its massive positions in Microsoft and Apple, which each have weightings of around 22% in the fund. However, look closely, and you’ll notice that many of the other mega-cap tech stocks that QQQ owns aren’t present here in the top 10, or at all, because XLK doesn’t own them.  Why not? Because the S&P index categorizes these stocks differently and does not include them within the technology sector. For example, Amazon and Tesla are classified as consumer discretionary companies, and they make up the largest positions for the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund ( NYSEARCA:XLY) . Meta Platforms and Alphabet are considered communications services and can be found in the Communications Services Select Sector SPDR Fund ( NYSEARCA:XLC) . With these tech behemoths not included in XLK, the fund has room for other large-cap tech stocks in its top 10 holdings, such as Adobe ( NASDAQ:ADBE ), Salesforce ( NYSE:CRM ) and Oracle ( NYSE:ORCL ).  One approach isn’t necessarily better than the other, but QQQ probably gives investors a larger and more comprehensive range of exposure to what many investors think of as ‘technology stocks’ (even though it also includes some non-tech stocks like Pepsi and Costco). XLK has a more narrow definition of tech stocks. It doesn’t include any non-tech stocks, but it’s also missing some of the household names that investors think of when they think of tech stocks. Ultimately, this is the key difference between these two ETFs. Both strategies yield portfolios with strong Smart Scores. The Smart Score is a proprietary quantitative stock scoring system created by TipRanks. It gives stocks a score from 1 to 10 based on eight market key factors. A score of 8 or above is equivalent to an Outperform rating. Seven of QQQ’s top 10 holdings feature Smart Scores of 8 or above, while eight of XLK’s top 10 holdings score 8 or better. Nevertheless, QQQ and XLK both have ETF Smart Scores of 8 out of 10. How Have QQQ and XLK Performed in the Long Term? Both ETFs have posted dazzling returns over the long term. As discussed above, both ETFs have returned over 40% in 2023 (as of the end of August). Over the past three years, QQQ’s annualized total return has been 9.3%. It has returned 16.0% over the past five years on an annualized basis and 18.6% over the past 10 years on an annualized basis. XLK has outperformed QQQ on a three-year basis, with a three-year annualized return of 13.4%. It has also beaten QQQ over the past five years, with an annualized return of 19.6%. Even over the past 10 years, it edges QQQ out with an excellent 20.5% annualized return.    Both ETFs have been top performers and have given their investors tremendous gains over the years, but XLK has outpaced QQQ over each of these time frames.  Expenses These are both very reasonably-priced ETFs. QQQ sports an expense ratio of 0.20%, while XLK is even cheaper at 0.10%. This means that an individual putting $10,000 into QQQ would pay $20 in fees during their first year of investing in the fund, while an individual allocating $10,000 into XLK would pay just $10 in fees. These are both favorable expense ratios for investors, but over the long run, the XLK investor would save a bit more money. Assuming that each fund returns 5% per year going forward and that the expense ratios stay where they are now, the QQQ investor would pay $255 in fees, while the XLK investor would pay $128 over the course of the decade.  Below, you’ll find a comparison of QQQ and XLK using TipRanks' ETF Comparison Tool, which enables investors to compare up to 20 ETFs at a time on factors like fees, performance, and more.  Is QQQ Stock a Buy, According to Analysts?  Turning to Wall Street, QQQ earns a Moderate Buy consensus rating based on 84 Buys, 18 Holds, and no Sell ratings assigned in the past three months. The average QQQ stock price target of $432.87 implies 14.8% upside potential. Is XLK Stock a Buy, According to Analysts?  Turning to Wall Street, XLK earns a Moderate Buy consensus rating based on 53 Buys, 14 Holds, and no Sell ratings assigned in the past three months. The average XLK stock price target of $197.70 implies 13.8% upside potential. Investor Takeaway  These are both top tech ETFs. XLK has slightly outperformed QQQ over the past 10 years and also offers investors a lower expense ratio. Additionally, it offers an exclusive focus on technology stocks. However, I also like QQQ’s more all-encompassing group of technology holdings, which gives investors exposure to leading tech stocks like Meta Platforms, Amazon, and Alphabet, which aren’t found in XLK. Both approaches have been fruitful over the years, and I find it hard to go wrong with either of these ETFs, and they both continue to look attractive over the long term.   Disclosure

Asian stock markets nudged sideways on Tuesday while the dollar took a breather, its recent gains chastened by resistance from central banks in China and Japan and by traders waiting on U.S. inflation data to signal that interest rates may have peaked.

Don’t look now, but the Dow has quietly put together a new three-day winning streak. All major indices closed in the green today, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq notching back-to-back up-days. The Dow gained 87 points on the sessi

Tesla TSLA shares soared in today’s session, adding 10% following a recent upgrade from Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas. The updated price target for Tesla shares now sits at $400 per share (street high), up from the previous $250 per

What you need to know… The S&P 500 Index ($SPX ) (SPY ) Monday closed up +0.67%, the Dow Jones Industrials Index ($DOWI ) (DIA ) closed up +0.25%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX ) (QQQ ) closed up +1.19%. Stocks on Monday settled moderately higher. Strength in technology...

U.S. stocks ended the session higher and the dollar retreated on Monday, as investors looked ahead to Wednesday's inflation data, while the Bank of Japan suggested it could be moving toward closing the door on an era of negative interest rates.

The Nasdaq closed sharply higher on Monday as Tesla surged on optimism around artificial intelligence and investors awaited inflation data due later this week.

The Nasdaq closed sharply higher on Monday as Tesla surged on optimism around artificial intelligence and investors awaited inflation data due later this week.

Tech stocks were advancing late Monday afternoon, with the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) rising 0.5% and the Philadelphia Semiconductor index up 0.1%.

Wall Street advanced and the dollar retreated on Monday, as investors looked ahead to Wednesday's inflation data, while the Bank of Japan suggested it could be moving toward closing the door on an era of negative interest rates.

Wall Street stocks rose on Monday, with the Nasdaq jumping over 1% as Tesla surged on optimism around artificial intelligence and investors awaited inflation data due later this week.

Tech stocks were mixed Monday afternoon with the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) rising 0.2% and the Philadelphia Semiconductor index falling 0.5%.

Fintel reports that on September 11, 2023, Morgan Stanley upgraded their outlook for Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) from Equal-Weight to Overweight . Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 1.56% Downside