Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IBB vs XLU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IBB returned +37.5% to XLU's −3.0%, and XLU charges 0.08% to IBB's 0.44%.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $11.0bn for iShares Biotechnology ETF and $23.9bn for State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLU costs 0.36 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 40.5 points; XLU is 2.2 times larger.
| Measure | IBB | XLU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +37.5% | −3.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 9.1%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Biotech | Utilities Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.44% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $11.0bn | $23.9bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 99% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 50% | 58.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 23, 2001 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,339 weekly returnsIBB returned slightly more: +586.4% to +548.2%. XLU swung less: 18.0% to 24.3%. XLU fell less at its worst: −48.3% to −59.2%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IBB | XLU | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +586.4% | +548.2% | IBB (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +7.8% | +7.5% | IBB (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +557.1% | +166.5% | IBB | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 24.3% | 18.0% | XLU | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 17.2% | 12.8% | XLU | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −59.2% | −48.3% | XLU | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.36 | 0.40 | XLU (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.50 | 0.55 | XLU (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.13 | 0.16 | XLU | 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 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
IBB and XLU on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IBB and XLU do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IBB follows Biotech and XLU follows Utilities 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 XLU −3.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 40.5 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
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
- Are IBB and XLU in the same category?
- IBB is a thematic ETF and XLU 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 XLU?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +37.5% and XLU −3.0%.
- Which is cheaper, IBB or XLU?
- XLU 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.
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ETFIQ, IBB against XLU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-xlu
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IBB against XLU. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-xlu
[IBB against XLU (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-xlu)
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