Writing & StyleStyle guide

QoQ Meaning in Business Writing

QoQ means quarter over quarter (or quarter on quarter): a comparison between one quarter and the preceding quarter. Name the metric and periods being compared; a QoQ percentage without its baseline or measure can be ambiguous.

Quick answer

QoQ means “quarter over quarter” or “quarter on quarter,” comparing a quarter with the previous quarter.

Key details

Core IssueQoQ means quarter over quarter (or quarter on quarter): a comparison between one quarter and the preceding quarter.
Phrase Rolecomparative-period business abbreviation
Registerfinance, analytics, reporting, and professional writing

Important caveats

Usage Boundary

Name the metric and periods being compared; a QoQ percentage without its baseline or measure can be ambiguous.

Further guidance

Meaning

QoQ describes change or comparison between consecutive quarters.

Practical Application

Use QoQ for a comparison between one quarter and the immediately preceding quarter, and name the metric and relevant periods when they are not already obvious.

Reader Check

Check that the comparison is consecutive-quarter rather than year-over-year or quarter-to-date, and make the baseline clear before presenting a percentage change.

Worked Example

“Subscription revenue increased 6% QoQ, from $4.0 million in Q1 to $4.24 million in Q2.”

Sources and evidence

Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.

  1. Quarter on Quarter (QOQ) (opens in a new tab)Corporate Finance Institute · QoQ as quarter-over-quarter comparison of one quarter with the preceding quarter

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