Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VWO vs XBI: how they differ
VWO and XBI hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and XBI returned more over the year.
Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock 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, VWO and XBI hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in VWO | Only in XBI |
|---|---|
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Lt 14.73% | Apogee Therapeutics Inc 1.49% |
| Tencent Holdings Ltd 3.28% | Moderna Inc 1.41% |
| Alibaba Group Holding Ltd 2.57% | Twist Bioscience Corp 1.41% |
| Delta Electronics Inc 1.18% | Oruka Therapeutics Inc 1.38% |
| MediaTek Inc 1.07% | Kymera Therapeutics Inc 1.36% |
| Reliance Industries Ltd 0.90% | Viking Therapeutics Inc 1.31% |
| HDFC Bank Ltd 0.81% | Praxis Precision Medicines Inc 1.29% |
| Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd 0.75% | Erasca Inc 1.27% |
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.
| VWO Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock 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 | Emerging markets | SPDR S&P Biotech |
| Total return, 1 year | +15.6% | +64.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −1.9 pts | +46.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.35% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 8.5% |
| Holdings | 6355 | 150 |
VWO in plain words
VWO is an index equity fund tracking the Emerging markets. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +15.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% 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 6355 positions, with the top ten at 26.8%.
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, VWO or XBI?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VWO returned +15.6% and XBI returned +64.0%, so XBI returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VWO or XBI?
- VWO charges 0.06% a year and XBI charges 0.35%, so VWO is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do VWO and XBI overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of VWO and 8% of XBI 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.
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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, VWO against XBI, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VWO-XBI Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources