Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
GOVT vs XLB: how they differ
GOVT and XLB hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and XLB returned more over the year.
iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF and State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, GOVT and XLB hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in GOVT | Only in XLB |
|---|---|
| United States of America 5.31% | Linde PLC 14.08% |
| United States of America 2.96% | Newmont Corp 5.85% |
| United States of America 2.63% | Freeport-McMoRan Inc 5.31% |
| United States of America 2.09% | Corteva Inc 4.97% |
| United States of America 1.61% | Sherwin-Williams Co/The 4.95% |
| United States of America 1.57% | Ecolab Inc 4.73% |
| United States of America 1.53% | Vulcan Materials Co 4.72% |
| United States of America 1.51% | CRH PLC 4.67% |
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 Apr 30, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026.
| GOVT iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF | XLB State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | State Street |
| What it is | U.S. Treasury Bond | Materials |
| Total return, 1 year | −1.0% | +12.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −18.5 pts | −5.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.05% | 0.08% |
| Holdings | 223 | 26 |
GOVT in plain words
GOVT is a bond fund tracking the U.S. Treasury Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −1.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. It sat 8.4% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Sep 11, 2026.
XLB in plain words
XLB is an index equity fund tracking the Materials. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +12.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% 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 26 positions, with the top ten at 58.5%. It sat 5.1% below its high of Aug 26, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, GOVT or XLB?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GOVT returned −1.0% and XLB returned +12.0%, so XLB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, GOVT or XLB?
- GOVT charges 0.05% a year and XLB charges 0.08%, so GOVT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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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.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, GOVT against XLB, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/GOVT-XLB Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources