Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
XBI vs XLB: how they differ
XBI and XLB hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and XBI returned more over the year.
State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Biotech ETF and State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, XBI and XLB hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in XBI | Only in XLB |
|---|---|
| Apogee Therapeutics Inc 1.49% | Linde PLC 14.08% |
| Moderna Inc 1.41% | Newmont Corp 5.85% |
| Twist Bioscience Corp 1.41% | Freeport-McMoRan Inc 5.31% |
| Oruka Therapeutics Inc 1.38% | Corteva Inc 4.97% |
| Kymera Therapeutics Inc 1.36% | Sherwin-Williams Co/The 4.95% |
| Viking Therapeutics Inc 1.31% | Ecolab Inc 4.73% |
| Praxis Precision Medicines Inc 1.29% | Vulcan Materials Co 4.72% |
| Erasca Inc 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.
| XBI State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Biotech ETF | XLB State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | State Street | State Street |
| What it is | SPDR S&P Biotech | Materials |
| Total return, 1 year | +64.0% | +12.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +46.5 pts | −5.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 8.5% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 150 | 26 |
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.
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, XBI or XLB?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, XBI returned +64.0% and XLB returned +12.0%, so XBI returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, XBI or XLB?
- XBI charges 0.35% a year and XLB charges 0.08%, so XLB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do XBI and XLB overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 8% of XBI 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.
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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, XBI against XLB, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/XBI-XLB Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources