Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
GOVT vs XLU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, GOVT returned −1.5% to XLU's −3.0%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $42.8bn for iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF and $23.9bn for State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
GOVT costs 0.03 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.5 points; GOVT is 1.8 times larger.
| Measure | GOVT | XLU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −1.5% | −3.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 8.1%, high on Aug 4, 2020 | 9.1%, high on Feb 27, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | ICE U.S. Treasury Core Bond Index | Utilities Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.05% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $42.8bn | $23.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 100% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 58.7% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Mar 2, 2012 to Oct 23, 2026 · 764 weekly returnsXLU returned more: +297.1% to +18.4%. GOVT swung less: 4.5% to 17.7%. GOVT fell less at its worst: −18.7% to −32.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | GOVT | XLU | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +18.4% | +297.1% | XLU | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +1.2% | +9.8% | XLU | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −10.6% | +143.5% | XLU | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 4.5% | 17.7% | GOVT | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 3.3% | 12.2% | GOVT | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −18.7% | −32.1% | GOVT | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | −0.11 | 0.52 | XLU | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | −0.15 | 0.76 | XLU | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.06 | 0.31 | XLU | 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 XLU 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 XLU on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
GOVT and XLU do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. GOVT follows ICE U.S. Treasury Core Bond Index and XLU follows Utilities Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- Number of holdings. GOVT holds 229 positions and XLU holds 32.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
XLU
XLU tracks an index of Utilities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.0% 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 32 positions, with the top ten at 58.7%. It sat 9.1% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, GOVT or XLU?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GOVT returned −1.5% and XLU −3.0%.
- Which is cheaper, GOVT or XLU?
- 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 XLU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/govt-vs-xlu
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). GOVT against XLU. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/govt-vs-xlu
[GOVT against XLU (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/govt-vs-xlu)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.