Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VEU vs XLB: how they differ
VEU and XLB hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and VEU returned more over the year.
Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Index Fund and State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, VEU and XLB hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in VEU | Only in XLB |
|---|---|
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd 1.83% | Linde PLC 14.08% |
| ASML Holding NV 1.45% | Newmont Corp 5.85% |
| SK hynix Inc 1.24% | Freeport-McMoRan Inc 5.31% |
| Tencent Holdings Ltd 0.97% | Corteva Inc 4.97% |
| HSBC Holdings PLC 0.81% | Sherwin-Williams Co/The 4.95% |
| Alibaba Group Holding Ltd 0.76% | Ecolab Inc 4.73% |
| AstraZeneca PLC 0.73% | Vulcan Materials Co 4.72% |
| Novartis AG 0.73% | 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.
| VEU Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Index Fund | XLB State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Vanguard | State Street |
| What it is | FTSE All-World ex-US | Materials |
| Total return, 1 year | +22.9% | +12.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +5.4 pts | −5.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.04% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 3860 | 26 |
VEU in plain words
VEU is an index equity fund tracking the FTSE All-World ex-US. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +22.9% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3860 positions, with the top ten at 13.6%.
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, VEU or XLB?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VEU returned +22.9% and XLB returned +12.0%, so VEU returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VEU or XLB?
- VEU charges 0.04% a year and XLB charges 0.08%, so VEU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do VEU and XLB overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of VEU and 100% of XLB by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
Where to next
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, VEU against XLB, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VEU-XLB Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources