Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IYG vs XLF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IYG returned +7.0% to XLF's +7.6%; 84% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $2.2bn for iShares U.S. Financial Services ETF and $51.6bn for State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLF costs 0.29 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.6 points; XLF is far larger, $51.6bn against $2.2bn.
| Measure | IYG | XLF |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +7.0% | +7.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.5%, high on Sep 3, 2026 | 3.8%, high on Sep 3, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Dow Jones U.S. Financial Services Index | Financial Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.37% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $2.2bn | $51.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 84% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 63.9% | 57.4% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 30, 2000 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,373 weekly returnsIYG returned more: +439.6% to +386.4%. XLF swung slightly less: 25.7% to 26.9%. IYG and XLF fell about the same at their worst: −81.8% and −82.7%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IYG | XLF | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +439.6% | +386.4% | IYG | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +6.6% | +6.2% | IYG (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +249.3% | +135.4% | IYG | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 26.9% | 25.7% | XLF (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 18.3% | 17.6% | XLF (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −81.8% | −82.7% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.31 | 0.29 | IYG (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.45 | 0.43 | IYG (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.08 | 0.07 | IYG (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,373 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IYG and XLF hold 84% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
84% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IYG and XLF on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IYG and XLF are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. IYG follows Dow Jones U.S. Financial Services Index and XLF follows Financial Select Sector Index.
- Cost. IYG charges 0.37% of assets a year and XLF 0.08%, a gap of 0.29 points.
- Size. IYG has $2.2bn in net assets and XLF $51.6bn (net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026); XLF is 23.5 times larger.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IYG
IYG tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +7.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.37% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 93% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 98 positions, with the top ten at 63.9%. It sat 4.5% below its high of Sep 3, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
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, IYG or XLF?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IYG returned +7.0% and XLF +7.6%.
- Which is cheaper, IYG or XLF?
- XLF is cheaper, by 0.29 percentage points a year. That is about $29 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, IYG against XLF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iyg-vs-xlf
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IYG against XLF. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iyg-vs-xlf
[IYG against XLF (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iyg-vs-xlf)
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