Which returned more over the last year, GLD or XLC?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLD returned +2.5% and XLC −10.4%.

Which is cheaper, GLD or XLC?

XLC is cheaper, by 0.32 percentage points a year. That is about $32 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

GLD vs XLC: Differences, Returns & Fees

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GLD is a commodity fund and XLC an equity index fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, GLD returned +2.5% against −10.4%.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $135.8bn for SPDR Gold Shares and $22.1bn for State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF.

GLD on its own →XLC on its own →

At a glance

+2.5%

GLD total return, 1 year

−10.4%

XLC total return, 1 year

0.40%

GLD expense ratio

0.08%

XLC expense ratio

Pair scorecard

XLC costs 0.32 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 12.9 points; GLD is 6.1 times larger.

GLD vs XLC: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	GLD	XLC
Return
Measure	GLD	XLC
Total return, 1 year	+2.5%	−10.4%
Drawdown
Measure	GLD	XLC
Below its high	24.7%, high on Jan 29, 2026	13.3%, high on Jan 30, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	GLD	XLC
What it tracks	Gold	Communication Services Select Sector Index
Cost and size
Measure	GLD	XLC
Expense ratio	0.40%	0.08%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$135.8bn	$22.1bn
Holdings
Measure	GLD	XLC
Holdings in common	not published
In the S&P 500, by weight		100%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund		75.3%

Method

Side by side

GLD SPDR Gold Shares XLC State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF

Where it sits Commodity ETF Stock ETF

Issuer State Street State Street

What it is Holds gold Tracks an index of Communication services

Total return, 1 year +2.5% −10.4%

Its benchmark over the same days +2.7% (IAU) not measured

Gap to its benchmark −0.2 pts vs IAU not measured

Expense ratio 0.40% 0.08%

Holdings not counted 23

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $135.8bn $22.1bn

GLD and XLC on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Alert

About each fund

GLD

Its expense ratio is 0.40% a year, for the three months to Jun 30, 2026, as its 10-Q states.

GLD holds gold. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +2.5% with distributions reinvested, against +2.7% for its benchmark, the price of gold. It sat 24.7% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

XLC

XLC tracks an index of Communication services. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −10.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 23 positions, with the top ten at 75.3%. It sat 13.3% below its high of Jan 30, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, GLD or XLC?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLD returned +2.5% and XLC −10.4%.
Which is cheaper, GLD or XLC?: XLC is cheaper, by 0.32 percentage points a year. That is about $32 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Other comparisons

GLD vs VOX GLD vs XLY GLD vs XLU GLD vs IYW IAU vs XLC GLDM vs XLC SLV vs XLC SIVR vs XLC

Where to next

GLD on its own →XLC on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →XLC dividend history →XLC holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

State Street website ↗

XLC filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

XLC prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, GLD against XLC, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gld-vs-xlc

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