Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
QUAL vs XLC: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, QUAL returned +13.1% to XLC's −10.4%; 9% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $48.2bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF, and $22.1bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLC costs 0.07 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 23.5 points; QUAL is 2.2 times larger.
| Measure | QUAL | XLC |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.1% | −10.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 13.3%, high on Jan 30, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index | Communication Services Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 26, 2026 | $48.3bn | $22.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 9% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 44.5% | 75.3% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 29, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 434 weekly returnsQUAL returned more: +198.8% to +131.1%. QUAL swung slightly less: 18.3% to 20.0%. QUAL fell less at its worst: −31.4% to −45.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | QUAL | XLC | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +198.8% | +131.1% | QUAL | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +14.0% | +10.6% | QUAL | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +167.0% | +113.0% | QUAL | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.3% | 20.0% | QUAL (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.8% | 14.0% | QUAL (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −31.4% | −45.9% | QUAL | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.66 | 0.46 | QUAL | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.94 | 0.66 | QUAL | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.45 | 0.23 | QUAL | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 434 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, QUAL and XLC hold 9% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
9% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
QUAL and XLC on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
QUAL and XLC do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. QUAL follows MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index and XLC follows Communication Services Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 9% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 QUAL returned +13.1% and XLC −10.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 23.5 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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QUAL
QUAL tracks the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.1% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 119 positions, with the top ten at 44.5%.
XLC
XLC tracks an index of Communication services. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −10.4% 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 23 positions, with the top ten at 75.3%. It sat 13.3% below its high of Jan 30, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or XLC?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +13.1% and XLC −10.4%.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or XLC?
- XLC is cheaper, by 0.07 percentage points a year. That is about $7 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, QUAL against XLC, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-xlc
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). QUAL against XLC. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-xlc
[QUAL against XLC (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-xlc)
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