Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
GOVT vs XLF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, GOVT returned −1.5% to XLF's +7.6%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about GOVT and XLF
Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $42.8bn for iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF and $51.6bn for State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
GOVT costs 0.03 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 9.1 points; XLF is 1.2 times larger.
| Measure | GOVT | XLF |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −1.5% | +7.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 8.1%, high on Aug 4, 2020 | 3.8%, high on Sep 3, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | ICE U.S. Treasury Core Bond Index | Financial Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.05% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $42.8bn | $51.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 100% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 57.4% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Mar 2, 2012 to Oct 23, 2026 · 764 weekly returnsXLF returned more: +506.3% to +18.4%. GOVT swung less: 4.5% to 20.1%. GOVT fell less at its worst: −18.7% to −39.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | GOVT | XLF | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +18.4% | +506.3% | XLF | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +1.2% | +13.0% | XLF | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −10.6% | +276.1% | XLF | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 4.5% | 20.1% | GOVT | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 3.3% | 13.8% | GOVT | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −18.7% | −39.3% | GOVT | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | −0.11 | 0.63 | XLF | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | −0.15 | 0.91 | XLF | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.06 | 0.33 | XLF | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 764 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, GOVT and XLF hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
GOVT and XLF on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
GOVT and XLF do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. GOVT follows ICE U.S. Treasury Core Bond Index and XLF follows Financial Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 GOVT returned −1.5% and XLF +7.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 9.1 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
The two-page PDF for this pair is coming. Save the comparison to follow its changes. Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.
GOVT
GOVT tracks an index of U.S. Treasury Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. It sat 8.1% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Oct 28, 2026.
XLF
XLF tracks an index of Financials. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +7.6% 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 77 positions, with the top ten at 57.4%. It sat 3.8% below its high of Sep 3, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, GOVT or XLF?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GOVT returned −1.5% and XLF +7.6%.
- Which is cheaper, GOVT or XLF?
- GOVT is cheaper, by 0.03 percentage points a year. That is about $3 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, GOVT against XLF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/govt-vs-xlf
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). GOVT against XLF. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/govt-vs-xlf
[GOVT against XLF (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/govt-vs-xlf)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.