Which returned more over the last year, SPY or XAUG?

In the year to Sep 21, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPY returned +16.6% and XAUG returned +7.9%, so SPY returned more.

Which is cheaper, SPY or XAUG?

SPY charges 0.09% a year and XAUG charges 0.85%, so SPY is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Are SPY and XAUG the same kind of fund?

No. SPY is an index ETF and XAUG is a buffer ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

Data as of Sep 21, 2026.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

SPY vs XAUG: how they differ

Over the year SPY returned more, +16.6% to XAUG's +7.9%, and SPY charges 0.09% to XAUG's 0.85%.

SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust and FT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - August.

SPY and XAUG on the fields both publish, as of Sep 21, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust	XAUG FT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - August
Where it sits	Core fund	Buffer ETF
Issuer	State Street	First Trust
What it is	Tracks the S&P 500	Defined outcome, 15% on SPY
Total return, 1 year	+16.6%	+7.9%
S&P 500 over the same days	+16.6%	+16.6%
Gap to the S&P 500	0.0 pts	−8.7 pts
Expense ratio	0.09%	0.85%
Holdings	505	not filed
Net assets	$785.0bn	$26m

SPY in plain words

SPY tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026 it returned +16.6% with distributions reinvested, against +16.6% for the S&P 500 and +21.8% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Sep 18, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 505 positions, with the top ten at 38.6%.

XAUG in plain words

From its price on Sep 21, 2026, the fund can gain about 9.5% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 1.6% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 1.0% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 333 days remained on Sep 21, 2026. On Aug 20, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, SPY or XAUG?: In the year to Sep 21, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPY returned +16.6% and XAUG returned +7.9%, so SPY returned more.
Which is cheaper, SPY or XAUG?: SPY charges 0.09% a year and XAUG charges 0.85%, so SPY is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Are SPY and XAUG the same kind of fund?: No. SPY is an index ETF and XAUG is a buffer ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

Other comparisons

Where to next

Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

SPY against XAUG, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 21, 2026. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, SPY against XAUG, data as of Sep 21, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spy-vs-xaug Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources