Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VUSB vs XLB: how they differ
VUSB and XLB hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and XLB returned more over the year.
Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF and State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, VUSB and XLB hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in VUSB | Only in XLB |
|---|---|
| United States Treasury Bill 4.24% | Linde PLC 14.08% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.68% | Newmont Corp 5.85% |
| PNC Financial Services Group Inc/The 0.59% | Freeport-McMoRan Inc 5.31% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.53% | Corteva Inc 4.97% |
| Regions Bank/Birmingham AL 0.52% | Sherwin-Williams Co/The 4.95% |
| US Bancorp 0.51% | Ecolab Inc 4.73% |
| Charles Schwab Corp/The 0.50% | Vulcan Materials Co 4.72% |
| Truist Bank 0.45% | 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.
| VUSB Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF | 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 | Ultra-Short Bond | Materials |
| Total return, 1 year | +3.7% | +12.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −13.8 pts | −5.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.10% | 0.08% |
| Holdings | 1281 | 26 |
VUSB in plain words
VUSB is a cash and treasury bills tracking the Ultra-Short Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +3.7% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.10% 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, VUSB or XLB?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VUSB returned +3.7% and XLB returned +12.0%, so XLB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VUSB or XLB?
- VUSB charges 0.10% a year and XLB charges 0.08%, so XLB 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.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, VUSB against XLB, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VUSB-XLB Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources