Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IVV vs XLF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IVV returned +13.7% to XLF's +7.6%; 12% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $885.1bn for iShares Core S&P 500 ETF and $51.6bn for State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
IVV costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.1 points; IVV is 17.2 times larger.
| Measure | IVV | XLF |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.7% | +7.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.8%, high on Sep 3, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | S&P 500 | Financial Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $885.1bn | $51.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 12% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 38.1% | 57.4% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 26, 2000 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,378 weekly returnsIVV returned more: +785.1% to +378.1%. IVV swung less: 17.3% to 25.8%. IVV fell less at its worst: −54.7% to −82.7%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IVV | XLF | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +785.1% | +378.1% | IVV | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.6% | +6.1% | IVV | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +453.9% | +130.5% | IVV | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 17.3% | 25.8% | IVV | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.3% | 17.7% | IVV | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −54.7% | −82.7% | IVV | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.46 | 0.29 | IVV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.65 | 0.42 | IVV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.16 | 0.07 | IVV | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,378 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IVV and XLF hold 12% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
12% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IVV and XLF on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IVV and XLF do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IVV follows S&P 500 and XLF follows Financial Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 12% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IVV returned +13.7% and XLF +7.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 6.1 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IVV
IVV tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.7% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the S&P 500. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% 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 505 positions, with the top ten at 38.1%.
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, IVV or XLF?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IVV returned +13.7% and XLF +7.6%.
- Which is cheaper, IVV or XLF?
- IVV is cheaper, by 0.05 percentage points a year. That is about $5 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, IVV against XLF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ivv-vs-xlf
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IVV against XLF. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ivv-vs-xlf
[IVV against XLF (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ivv-vs-xlf)
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