Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
LQD vs XLF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, LQD returned −3.4% to XLF's +7.6%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about LQD and XLF
Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $30.6bn for iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF and $51.6bn for State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLF costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 11.0 points; XLF is 1.7 times larger.
| Measure | LQD | XLF |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −3.4% | +7.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 6.3%, high on Sep 22, 2021 | 3.8%, high on Sep 3, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Investment Grade Index | Financial Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.14% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $30.6bn | $51.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 100% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 57.4% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, LQD and XLF 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
LQD and XLF on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
LQD
LQD tracks an index of US investment grade bonds. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.4% with distributions reinvested, against −1.2% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.14% a year. It sat 6.3% below its high of Sep 22, 2021 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, LQD or XLF?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, LQD returned −3.4% and XLF +7.6%.
- Which is cheaper, LQD or XLF?
- XLF is cheaper, by 0.06 percentage points a year. That is about $6 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, LQD against XLF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/lqd-vs-xlf
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). LQD against XLF. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/lqd-vs-xlf
[LQD against XLF (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/lqd-vs-xlf)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.