Get the weekly note

Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

CTA vs XLY: how they differ

CTA and XLY hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and CTA returned more over the year.

Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF and State Street(R) Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, CTA and XLY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in CTAOnly in XLY
SIMPLIFY EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 81.69%Amazon.com Inc 22.24%
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 3.72%Tesla Inc 19.66%
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 3.44%Home Depot Inc/The 5.83%
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 2.76%McDonald's Corp 4.16%
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 2.75%TJX Cos Inc/The 3.93%
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 2.20%Booking Holdings Inc 3.44%
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 1.37%Lowe's Cos Inc 3.08%
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 1.07%Starbucks Corp 2.90%

Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026.

CTA and XLY on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
CTA
Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF
XLY
State Street(R) Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF
Where it sitsCore index fundCore index fund
IssuerSimplifyState Street
What it isSimplify Managed Futures StrategyConsumer discretionary
Total return, 1 year+17.0%−4.1%
S&P 500 over the same days+17.5%+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500−0.5 pts−21.6 pts
Expense ratio0.75%0.08%
Already in the S&P 5000.0%100.0%
Holdings1047

CTA in plain words

CTA is an index equity fund tracking the Simplify Managed Futures Strategy. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +17.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.75% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 10 positions, with the top ten at 100.0%. It sat 5.3% below its high of May 4, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.

XLY in plain words

XLY is an index equity fund tracking the Consumer discretionary. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −4.1% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 47 positions, with the top ten at 69.2%. It sat 8.9% below its high of Jan 12, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, CTA or XLY?
In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, CTA returned +17.0% and XLY returned −4.1%, so CTA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, CTA or XLY?
CTA charges 0.75% a year and XLY charges 0.08%, so XLY is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do CTA and XLY overlap with the S&P 500?
By their latest filed holdings, 0% of CTA and 100% of XLY by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.

Other comparisons

Where to next

Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

CTA against XLY, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 12, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, CTA against XLY, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/CTA-XLY Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources