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

In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VGSH returned +1.8% and XLB returned +12.0%, so XLB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, VGSH or XLB?

VGSH charges 0.03% a year and XLB charges 0.08%, so VGSH 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

VGSH vs XLB: how they differ

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

Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index Fund and State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, VGSH 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 VGSH	Only in XLB
United States Treasury Note/Bond 2.26%	Linde PLC 14.08%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.41%	Newmont Corp 5.85%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.36%	Freeport-McMoRan Inc 5.31%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.32%	Corteva Inc 4.97%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.31%	Sherwin-Williams Co/The 4.95%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.30%	Ecolab Inc 4.73%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.27%	Vulcan Materials Co 4.72%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.27%	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.

VGSH and XLB on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	VGSH Vanguard Short-Term Treasury 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	Short-Term Treasury	Materials
Total return, 1 year	+1.8%	+12.0%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−15.7 pts	−5.5 pts
Expense ratio	0.03%	0.08%
Holdings	91	26

VGSH in plain words

VGSH is a bond fund tracking the Short-Term Treasury. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +1.8% 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.

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, VGSH or XLB?: In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VGSH returned +1.8% and XLB returned +12.0%, so XLB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, VGSH or XLB?: VGSH charges 0.03% a year and XLB charges 0.08%, so VGSH 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.

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

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources