Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
JNK vs XLE: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, JNK returned +1.7% to XLE's +61.2%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $5.9bn for State Street SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF and $45.2bn for State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLE costs 0.32 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 59.5 points; XLE is 7.7 times larger.
| Measure | JNK | XLE |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +1.7% | +61.2% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Bloomberg High Yield Very Liquid Index | Energy Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.40% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $5.9bn | $45.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 100% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 78.1% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 14, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 984 weekly returnsXLE returned more: +224.9% to +141.3%. JNK swung less: 12.7% to 28.6%. JNK fell less at its worst: −38.4% to −68.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | JNK | XLE | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +141.3% | +224.9% | XLE | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.8% | +6.4% | XLE | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −35.6% | +81.4% | XLE | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 12.7% | 28.6% | JNK | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 9.4% | 20.6% | JNK | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −38.4% | −68.9% | JNK | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.32 | 0.31 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.43 | 0.43 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.12 | 0.09 | JNK | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 984 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, JNK and XLE 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
JNK and XLE on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
JNK and XLE do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. JNK follows Bloomberg High Yield Very Liquid Index and XLE follows Energy 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 JNK returned +1.7% and XLE +61.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 59.5 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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JNK
JNK tracks the Bloomberg High Yield Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +1.7% with distributions reinvested, against −1.4% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.40% a year.
XLE
XLE tracks an index of Energy. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +61.2% 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 22 positions, with the top ten at 78.1%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, JNK or XLE?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, JNK returned +1.7% and XLE +61.2%.
- Which is cheaper, JNK or XLE?
- XLE is cheaper, by 0.32 percentage points a year. That is about $32 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, JNK against XLE, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/jnk-vs-xle
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). JNK against XLE. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/jnk-vs-xle
[JNK against XLE (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/jnk-vs-xle)
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