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

In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VGSH returned +1.8% and XLF returned +7.6%, so XLF returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, VGSH or XLF?

VGSH charges 0.03% a year and XLF 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 XLF: how they differ

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

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

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, VGSH and XLF 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 XLF
United States Treasury Note/Bond 2.26%	Berkshire Hathaway Inc 12.10%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.41%	JPMorgan Chase & Co 11.57%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.36%	Visa Inc 7.51%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.32%	Mastercard Inc 5.47%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.31%	Bank of America Corp 4.91%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.30%	Goldman Sachs Group Inc/The 3.94%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.27%	Wells Fargo & Co 3.34%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.27%	Morgan Stanley 3.31%

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 XLF on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	VGSH Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index Fund	XLF State Street(R) Financial Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	Vanguard	State Street
What it is	Short-Term Treasury	Financials
Total return, 1 year	+1.8%	+7.6%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−15.7 pts	−9.9 pts
Expense ratio	0.03%	0.08%
Holdings	91	76

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.

XLF in plain words

XLF is an index equity fund tracking the Financials. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +7.6% 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 76 positions, with the top ten at 57.7%.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, VGSH or XLF?: In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VGSH returned +1.8% and XLF returned +7.6%, so XLF returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, VGSH or XLF?: VGSH charges 0.03% a year and XLF charges 0.08%, so VGSH is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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.

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

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources