SCHG ETF's heavy Apple, NVIDIA, Microsoft bets cause it to lag broader growth and market ETFs in 2026.

The Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF (SCHG) heavily concentrates its portfolio in just three tech giants—NVIDIA, Apple, and Microsoft—making up nearly a third of its holdings. Despite being marketed as a diversified large-cap growth fund, this concentration has caused SCHG to underperform broader market ETFs like SPY and QQQ in 2026, with returns trailing by about 3 to 7 percentage points year-to-date. The fund's methodology favors established mega-caps and limits exposure to high-growth but expensive stocks like Palantir, which has seen strong revenue growth. Investors seeking exposure to current market leaders or a purer growth play might prefer QQQ, while SCHG suits those comfortable with a factor-based, mega-cap tilted growth approach. The fund's performance gap reflects timing and leadership shifts in mega-cap stocks rather than a fundamental flaw in its design.