Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IWM vs XRT: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IWM returned +14.1% to XRT's +2.4%; 2% 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 $362m for State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF.
Pair scorecard
IWM costs 0.16 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 11.7 points; IWM is far larger, $75.5bn against $362m.
| Measure | IWM | XRT |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +14.1% | +2.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 7.6%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | 9.9%, high on Nov 16, 2021 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Russell 2000 Index | S&P Retail Select Industry Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.19% | 0.35% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $75.5bn | $362m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 2% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 3.3% | 16.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 30, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,060 weekly returnsXRT returned more: +507.2% to +404.0%. IWM swung less: 23.1% to 25.8%. IWM fell less at its worst: −57.7% to −64.5%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IWM | XRT | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +404.0% | +507.2% | XRT | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.3% | +9.3% | XRT | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +284.4% | +366.0% | XRT | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 23.1% | 25.8% | IWM | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 16.2% | 17.4% | IWM (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −57.7% | −64.5% | IWM | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.39 | 0.41 | XRT (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.55 | 0.60 | XRT (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.14 | 0.14 | Tie | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,060 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IWM and XRT hold 2% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
2% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IWM and XRT on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IWM and XRT do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IWM follows Russell 2000 Index and XRT follows S&P Retail Select Industry Index.
- Holdings in common. 2% 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 XRT +2.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 11.7 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.
XRT
XRT tracks the S&P Retail. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +2.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 74 positions, with the top ten at 16.6%. It sat 9.9% below its high of Nov 16, 2021 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IWM or XRT?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWM returned +14.1% and XRT +2.4%.
- Which is cheaper, IWM or XRT?
- IWM is cheaper, by 0.16 percentage points a year. That is about $16 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, IWM against XRT, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwm-vs-xrt
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IWM against XRT. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwm-vs-xrt
[IWM against XRT (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwm-vs-xrt)
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