index
FTSE Developed World
Developed-market global equities
Index Battle · Evidence-first comparison
FTSE Developed World vs Nasdaq-100: Which Exposure Fits Your Portfolio?
A broad developed-market benchmark against an index whose defining rules are listing venue and a financials exclusion.
Last reviewed: 26 August 2026IndependentNo paid placementsInformational only
vs
index
Nasdaq-100
Large non-financial Nasdaq-listed companies
Overall verdict
FTSE Developed World is built to represent developed equity markets. The Nasdaq-100 is built from a narrower eligibility test: large, liquid, seasoned companies listed on Nasdaq and not classified as financials. Comparing them is comparing a market-representation objective with a selection rule that was never intended to represent anything.
Quick Decision
Choose FTSE Developed World if…
the portfolio needs a developed-market core with country and sector weights set by market value.
Choose Nasdaq-100 if…
you want a deliberate, sized position in the large Nasdaq-listed cohort and understand that its sector profile is a by-product of the exclusion rule.
Either can make sense if…
the Nasdaq-100 position is limited in size and reviewed against the overlap it creates with the developed core.
At a glance
Entity characteristics—not reference-product fees.
| Characteristic | FTSE Developed World | Nasdaq-100 |
|---|---|---|
| Exposure | Developed-market global equities | Large non-financial Nasdaq-listed companies |
| Geography | Developed markets worldwide | United States |
| Market coverage | Large and mid cap | Large cap |
| Emerging markets | Not included | Not included |
| Small caps | Not included | Not included |
| Weighting | Market-cap weighted | Modified market-cap weighted |
| Index provider | FTSE Russell | Nasdaq |
Five key differences
- 1.Exposure: Developed-market global equities compared with Large non-financial Nasdaq-listed companies.
- 2.Geography: Developed markets worldwide compared with United States.
- 3.Market coverage: Large and mid cap compared with Large cap.
- 4.Weighting: Market-cap weighted compared with Modified market-cap weighted.
- 5.Index provider: FTSE Russell compared with Nasdaq.
Decision scorecard
ExposureDepends
GeographyDepends
Market coverageDepends
WeightingDepends
Index providerDepends
“Depends” means the category reflects an investor objective, not universal superiority.
Coverage, countries and sectors
Verified holdings, concentration, country and sector datasets are not currently connected. When available, each dataset will be labelled as official index data or Reference ETF holdings; listing domicile will not be presented as economic revenue exposure.
What this means in a portfolio
The overlap is complete in one direction: the Nasdaq-100's companies are already inside FTSE Developed World. The incremental position adds concentration, not new markets.
Common mistake
Using the Nasdaq-100 as a proxy for 'US exposure'. It excludes financials entirely and omits many large US companies listed elsewhere.
Historical comparison basis
Historical performance is represented using Grovcap-selected reference exchange-traded products. It is not the official index or spot return series. Fund or ETP returns can differ because of fees, taxes, tracking, cash positions, product structure and other implementation effects. Differences can reflect TER, tracking difference, withholding taxes, sampling, securities lending, cash drag, operating expenses, currency conversion and inception date.
| Period | FTSE Developed World | Nasdaq-100 | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to date | 11.45% | 20.07% | Cumulative |
| 1 year | 23.82% | 33.85% | Cumulative |
| 3 years | 20.07% | 26.30% | Annualised |
| 5 years | 11.82% | 16.19% | Annualised |
| Since inception | 14.46% | 19.36% | Annualised |
Provider-reported net-asset-value total returns for the two reference products, in USD, as of 30 Jun 2026. Figures are taken from provider documents; Grovcap does not convert them into another currency and does not recompute them. Periods where the two products report different currencies, bases or reporting dates are withheld rather than aligned artificially.
Grovcap does not currently hold a daily net-asset-value time series for these products. Indexed performance charts, annualised volatility, maximum drawdown and return-per-risk therefore remain unavailable rather than being estimated from period returns.
Reference instruments used
One canonical European exchange-traded product per exposure, chosen by published rules: exact benchmark family, active and published, plain long-only, then accumulating, unhedged, longest usable history and largest established product.
FTSE Developed World reference product
Vanguard FTSE Developed World UCITS ETF (USD) Accumulating
- ISIN
- IE00BK5BQV03
- Product type
- UCITS ETF
- Provider
- Vanguard
- Tracked benchmark
- FTSE Developed Index
- Distribution
- Accumulating
- Currency hedging
- Unhedged
- Replication
- Index
- Domicile
- Ireland
- Base currency
- USD
- Ongoing charge (TER)
- 0.12%
- Fund size
- Not currently available
- Inception
- 24 Sept 2019
Selected deterministically from 3 eligible products in the Grovcap database — never by commercial arrangement.
Nasdaq-100 reference product
iShares NASDAQ 100 UCITS ETF
- ISIN
- IE00B53SZB19
- Product type
- UCITS ETF
- Provider
- Ishares
- Tracked benchmark
- NASDAQ 100 Index
- Distribution
- Accumulating
- Currency hedging
- Unhedged
- Replication
- Replicated
- Domicile
- Ireland
- Base currency
- USD
- Ongoing charge (TER)
- 0.30%
- Fund size
- $26.89bn
- Inception
- 26 Jan 2010
Selected deterministically from 15 eligible products in the Grovcap database — never by commercial arrangement.
Continue researching
Related Grovcap guides, rankings and tools to take the next step.
Best ETFsBest MSCI World UCITS ETFsEvery plain MSCI World UCITS share class compared on cost, size and structure.Best ETFsBest Nasdaq-100 UCITS ETFsA distinct, concentrated US equity exposure compared on cost and structure.Best ETFsBest FTSE All-World UCITS ETFsEvery core FTSE All-World UCITS share class compared on cost, size and structure.PortfolioIs One All-World ETF Enough?Separate genuine diversification from overlap and intentional tilts.ToolsETF Comparison ToolPut any UCITS ETFs side by side on the fields that drive your decision.
Disclaimer
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