Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IBB vs XLK: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IBB returned +37.5% to XLK's +27.1%, and XLK charges 0.08% to IBB's 0.44%.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about IBB and XLK
Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $11.0bn for iShares Biotechnology ETF and $125.0bn for State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLK costs 0.36 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 10.4 points; XLK is 11.4 times larger.
| Measure | IBB | XLK |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +37.5% | +27.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 5.4%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Biotech | Technology Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.44% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $11.0bn | $125.0bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 99% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 50% | 64.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 23, 2001 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,339 weekly returnsXLK returned more: +1,589.9% to +586.4%. XLK swung slightly less: 22.4% to 24.3%. IBB and XLK fell about the same at their worst: −59.2% and −60.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IBB | XLK | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +586.4% | +1,589.9% | XLK | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +7.8% | +11.6% | XLK | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +557.1% | +1,149.4% | XLK | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 24.3% | 22.4% | XLK (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 17.2% | 15.4% | XLK | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −59.2% | −60.3% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.36 | 0.52 | XLK | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.50 | 0.76 | XLK | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.13 | 0.19 | XLK | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,339 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IBB and XLK 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
IBB and XLK on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IBB and XLK do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IBB follows Biotech and XLK follows Technology 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 IBB returned +37.5% and XLK +27.1% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 10.4 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.
IBB
By weight, 40% of IBB's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 99%. The top ten holdings are 50% of the fund across 245 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +37.5% with distributions reinvested.
XLK
XLK tracks an index of Technology. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +27.1% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. 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 76 positions, with the top ten at 64.6%. It sat 5.4% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Are IBB and XLK in the same category?
- IBB is a thematic ETF and XLK is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, IBB or XLK?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +37.5% and XLK +27.1%.
- Which is cheaper, IBB or XLK?
- XLK is cheaper, by 0.36 percentage points a year. That is about $36 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, IBB against XLK, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-xlk
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IBB against XLK. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-xlk
[IBB against XLK (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-xlk)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.