Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
USO vs XLC: how they differ
USO is a commodity fund and XLC an equity index fund, and over the year USO returned more, +112.2% against −2.0%.
United States Oil Fund, LP and State Street(R) Communication Services Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
| USO United States Oil Fund, LP | XLC State Street(R) Communication Services Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | United | State Street |
| What it is | Oil | Communication services |
| Total return, 1 year | +112.2% | −2.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +94.7 pts | −19.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | not published | 0.08% |
| Holdings | not filed | 23 |
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.
XLC in plain words
XLC is an index equity fund tracking the Communication services. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −2.0% 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 23 positions, with the top ten at 76.2%. It sat 5.7% below its high of Jan 30, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, USO or XLC?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, USO returned +112.2% and XLC returned −2.0%, 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 XLC, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/USO-XLC Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources