Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
USO vs XLB: how they differ
USO is a commodity fund and XLB an equity index fund, and over the year USO returned more, +112.2% against +12.0%.
United States Oil Fund, LP and State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
| USO United States Oil Fund, LP | XLB State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | United | State Street |
| What it is | Oil | Materials |
| Total return, 1 year | +112.2% | +12.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +94.7 pts | −5.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | not published | 0.08% |
| Holdings | not filed | 26 |
USO in plain words
USO is a commodity fund tracking the Oil. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +112.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. It sat 57.1% below its high of Apr 8, 2011 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, USO or XLB?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, USO returned +112.2% and XLB returned +12.0%, so USO returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
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, USO against XLB, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/USO-XLB Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources