GUSH vs. QLD

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Bull 2x Shares (GUSH) and ProShares Ultra QQQ (QLD).

GUSH and QLD are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. GUSH is a passively managed fund by Direxion that tracks the performance of the S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Select Industry Index (300%). It was launched on Apr 1, 2020. QLD is a passively managed fund by ProShares that tracks the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Index (200%). It was launched on Jun 21, 2006. Both GUSH and QLD are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

GUSH vs. QLD - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Bull 2x Shares (GUSH) and ProShares Ultra QQQ (QLD). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

GUSH vs. QLD - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
GUSH Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Bull 2x Shares	102.61%	-19.39%	-12.73%	-7.23%	66.47%	129.94%	-97.38%	-52.68%	-74.28%	-40.21%
QLD ProShares Ultra QQQ	-13.35%	30.36%	42.82%	117.72%	-60.52%	54.67%	88.90%	81.69%	-8.31%	70.34%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, GUSH achieves a 102.61% return, which is significantly higher than QLD's -13.35% return. Over the past 10 years, GUSH has underperformed QLD with an annualized return of -32.37%, while QLD has yielded a comparatively higher 29.40% annualized return.

GUSH

• 1D: -3.93%
• 1M: 39.57%
• YTD: 102.61%
• 6M: 81.38%
• 1Y: 68.02%
• 3Y*: 15.69%
• 5Y*: 19.89%
• 10Y*: -32.37%

QLD

• 1D: 6.72%
• 1M: -10.26%
• YTD: -13.35%
• 6M: -11.03%
• 1Y: 37.53%
• 3Y*: 35.41%
• 5Y*: 15.27%
• 10Y*: 29.40%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

GUSH vs. QLD - Expense Ratio Comparison

GUSH has a 1.17% expense ratio, which is higher than QLD's 0.95% expense ratio.

GUSH

Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Bull 2x Shares

QLD

ProShares Ultra QQQ

Return for Risk

GUSH vs. QLD — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

GUSH

GUSH Risk / Return Rank: 60
GUSH Sharpe Ratio Rank: 60
GUSH Sortino Ratio Rank: 64
GUSH Omega Ratio Rank: 63
GUSH Calmar Ratio Rank: 67
GUSH Martin Ratio Rank: 45

QLD

QLD Risk / Return Rank: 57
QLD Sharpe Ratio Rank: 51
QLD Sortino Ratio Rank: 59
QLD Omega Ratio Rank: 58
QLD Calmar Ratio Rank: 63
QLD Martin Ratio Rank: 55

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

GUSH vs. QLD - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Bull 2x Shares (GUSH) and ProShares Ultra QQQ (QLD). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	GUSH	QLD	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.02	0.84	+0.18
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.55	1.43	+0.12
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.22	1.20	+0.02
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.61	1.49	+0.12
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	4.01	4.88	-0.87
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

GUSH vs. QLD - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current GUSH Sharpe Ratio is 1.02, which is comparable to the QLD Sharpe Ratio of 0.84. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of GUSH and QLD, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	GUSH	QLD	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.02	0.84	+0.18
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.29	0.34	-0.05
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	-0.34	0.66	-1.01
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	-0.43	0.53	-0.96

Correlation

The correlation between GUSH and QLD is 0.31, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

GUSH vs. QLD - Dividend Comparison

GUSH's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.23%, more than QLD's 0.19% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
GUSH Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Bull 2x Shares	1.23%	2.60%	2.96%	3.00%	0.47%	0.00%	0.20%	1.68%	0.17%	0.00%	3.26%	0.00%
QLD ProShares Ultra QQQ	0.19%	0.17%	0.25%	0.33%	0.31%	0.00%	0.00%	0.13%	0.06%	0.02%	0.21%	0.11%

Drawdowns

GUSH vs. QLD - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum GUSH drawdown since its inception was -99.98%, which is greater than QLD's maximum drawdown of -83.13%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for GUSH and QLD.

Drawdown Indicators

	GUSH	QLD	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-99.98%	-83.13%	-16.85%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-43.67%	-25.13%	-18.54%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-73.64%	-63.68%	-9.96%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-99.94%	-63.68%	-36.26%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-99.75%	-20.10%	-79.65%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-92.81%	-18.30%	-74.51%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	17.54%	7.67%	+9.87%

Volatility

GUSH vs. QLD - Volatility Comparison

Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Bull 2x Shares (GUSH) has a higher volatility of 14.01% compared to ProShares Ultra QQQ (QLD) at 12.96%. This indicates that GUSH's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than QLD based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	GUSH	QLD	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	14.01%	12.96%	+1.05%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	38.39%	25.55%	+12.84%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	67.12%	44.91%	+22.21%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	68.80%	44.77%	+24.03%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	94.28%	44.47%	+49.81%