Which returned more over the last year, IEF or XLB?

In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IEF returned −2.7% and XLB returned +12.0%, so XLB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, IEF or XLB?

IEF charges 0.15% a year and XLB charges 0.08%, so XLB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

IEF vs XLB: how they differ

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

iShares 7-10 Year 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, IEF and XLB 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 IEF	Only in XLB
United States of America 9.71%	Linde PLC 14.08%
United States of America 8.94%	Newmont Corp 5.85%
United States of America 8.91%	Freeport-McMoRan Inc 5.31%
United States of America 8.89%	Corteva Inc 4.97%
United States of America 8.87%	Sherwin-Williams Co/The 4.95%
United States of America 8.79%	Ecolab Inc 4.73%
United States of America 8.69%	Vulcan Materials Co 4.72%
United States of America 8.46%	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 Jun 30, 2026 and May 31, 2026.

IEF and XLB on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	IEF iShares 7-10 Year 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	7-10 Year Treasury Bond	Materials
Total return, 1 year	−2.7%	+12.0%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−20.2 pts	−5.5 pts
Expense ratio	0.15%	0.08%
Holdings	15	26

IEF in plain words

IEF is a bond fund tracking the 7-10 Year Treasury Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −2.7% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. It sat 13.3% 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, IEF or XLB?: In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IEF returned −2.7% and XLB returned +12.0%, so XLB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, IEF or XLB?: IEF charges 0.15% a year and XLB charges 0.08%, so XLB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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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.

IEF against XLB, 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, IEF against XLB, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/IEF-XLB Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources