Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
RSP vs XLU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, RSP returned +16.0% to XLU's −3.0%; 6% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $99.8bn for Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF and $23.9bn for State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLU costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 19.0 points; RSP is 4.2 times larger.
| Measure | RSP | XLU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +16.0% | −3.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 9.1%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | S&P 500 Equal Weight Index | Utilities Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.20% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $99.8bn | $23.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 6% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 2.7% | 58.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 9, 2003 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,224 weekly returnsRSP returned more: +1,085.5% to +853.6%. XLU swung slightly less: 17.5% to 18.8%. XLU fell less at its worst: −45.2% to −59.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | RSP | XLU | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +1,085.5% | +853.6% | RSP | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +11.1% | +10.1% | RSP (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +726.1% | +325.6% | RSP | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.8% | 17.5% | XLU (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.2% | 12.4% | XLU (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −59.6% | −45.2% | XLU | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.56 | 0.53 | RSP (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.80 | 0.75 | RSP (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.19 | 0.22 | XLU | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,224 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, RSP and XLU hold 6% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
6% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
RSP and XLU on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
RSP and XLU do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. RSP follows S&P 500 Equal Weight Index and XLU follows Utilities Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 6% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 RSP returned +16.0% and XLU −3.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 19.0 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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RSP
RSP tracks the S&P 500 equal weight. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +16.0% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.20% 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 508 positions, with the top ten at 2.7%.
XLU
XLU tracks an index of Utilities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.0% 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 32 positions, with the top ten at 58.7%. It sat 9.1% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, RSP or XLU?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, RSP returned +16.0% and XLU −3.0%.
- Which is cheaper, RSP or XLU?
- XLU is cheaper, by 0.12 percentage points a year. That is about $12 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, RSP against XLU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/rsp-vs-xlu
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). RSP against XLU. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/rsp-vs-xlu
[RSP against XLU (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/rsp-vs-xlu)
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