Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IWM vs XLB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IWM returned +14.1% to XLB's +18.5%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $75.5bn for iShares Russell 2000 ETF and $8.1bn for State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLB costs 0.11 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.4 points; IWM is 9.3 times larger.
| Measure | IWM | XLB |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +14.1% | +18.5% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 7.6%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Russell 2000 Index | Materials Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.19% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $75.5bn | $8.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 3.3% | 58.5% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 2, 2000 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,377 weekly returnsXLB returned more: +753.0% to +656.6%. IWM and XLB swung about the same: 22.3% and 22.2%. IWM fell slightly less at its worst: −57.7% to −59.0%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IWM | XLB | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +656.6% | +753.0% | XLB | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +7.9% | +8.4% | XLB (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +438.6% | +366.5% | IWM | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 22.3% | 22.2% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 15.7% | 15.5% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −57.7% | −59.0% | IWM (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.38 | 0.40 | XLB (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.53 | 0.57 | XLB (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.14 | 0.14 | XLB (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,377 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IWM and XLB 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
IWM and XLB on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IWM and XLB do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IWM follows Russell 2000 Index and XLB follows Materials 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 IWM returned +14.1% and XLB +18.5% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 4.4 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IWM
IWM tracks the Russell 2000. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.1% with distributions reinvested, against +14.3% for its benchmark, the Russell 2000 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.19% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,977 positions, with the top ten at 3.3%. It sat 7.6% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
XLB
XLB tracks an index of Materials. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.5% 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 25 positions, with the top ten at 58.5%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IWM or XLB?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWM returned +14.1% and XLB +18.5%.
- Which is cheaper, IWM or XLB?
- XLB is cheaper, by 0.11 percentage points a year. That is about $11 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, IWM against XLB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwm-vs-xlb
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IWM against XLB. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwm-vs-xlb
[IWM against XLB (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwm-vs-xlb)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.