Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VB vs XBI: how they differ
VB and XBI hold 5% of their weight in the same names, and XBI returned more over the year.
Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund and State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Biotech ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, VB and XBI hold 5% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | VB | XBI |
|---|---|---|
| REVOLUTION Medicines Inc | 0.46% | 1.21% |
| Natera Inc | 0.45% | 1.17% |
| Moderna Inc | 0.30% | 1.41% |
| United Therapeutics Corp | 0.28% | 0.93% |
| Incyte Corp | 0.23% | 1.00% |
| Neurocrine Biosciences Inc | 0.21% | 0.97% |
| Bridgebio Pharma Inc | 0.16% | 1.03% |
| Exelixis Inc | 0.16% | 0.96% |
| Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc | 0.15% | 1.00% |
| Cytokinetics Inc | 0.14% | 1.18% |
| Insmed Inc | 0.14% | 1.08% |
| BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc | 0.14% | 0.95% |
| Only in VB | Only in XBI |
|---|---|
| Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd 0.55% | Oruka Therapeutics Inc 1.38% |
| Jabil Inc 0.49% | Erasca Inc 1.27% |
| Astera Labs Inc 0.45% | SELLAS Life Sciences Group Inc 1.19% |
| EMCOR Group Inc 0.45% | Dianthus Therapeutics Inc 1.19% |
| Twilio Inc 0.38% | Scholar Rock Holding Corp 1.16% |
| NRG Energy Inc 0.38% | Roivant Sciences Ltd 1.16% |
| MKS Instruments Inc 0.37% | Travere Therapeutics Inc 1.13% |
| Flex Ltd 0.36% | Alkermes PLC 1.11% |
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.
| VB Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund | XBI State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Biotech ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Vanguard | State Street |
| What it is | Small-Cap | SPDR S&P Biotech |
| Total return, 1 year | +15.2% | +64.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −2.3 pts | +46.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.35% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 21.7% | 8.5% |
| Holdings | 1311 | 150 |
VB in plain words
VB is an index equity fund tracking the Small-Cap. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +15.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1311 positions, with the top ten at 4.3%. It sat 5.1% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
XBI in plain words
XBI is an index equity fund tracking the SPDR S&P Biotech. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +64.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 8% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 150 positions, with the top ten at 13.3%. It sat 9.6% below its high of Feb 8, 2021 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VB or XBI?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VB returned +15.2% and XBI returned +64.0%, so XBI returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VB or XBI?
- VB charges 0.03% a year and XBI charges 0.35%, so VB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do VB and XBI overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 22% of VB and 8% of XBI by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 5% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
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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, VB against XBI, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VB-XBI Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources