Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
SPY vs XBI: how they differ
SPY and XBI hold 2% of their weight in the same names, and XBI returned more over the year.
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust and State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Biotech ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, SPY and XBI hold 2% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | SPY | XBI |
|---|---|---|
| ABBVIE INC | 0.69% | 1.09% |
| AMGEN INC | 0.32% | 1.09% |
| GILEAD SCIENCES INC | 0.28% | 1.15% |
| VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC | 0.20% | 1.14% |
| REGENERON PHARMACEUTICALS | 0.12% | 1.27% |
| MODERNA INC | 0.07% | 2.87% |
| BIOGEN INC | 0.05% | 1.07% |
| INCYTE CORP | 0.03% | 1.13% |
| US DOLLAR | 0.18% | 0.02% |
| Only in SPY | Only in XBI |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA CORP 8.08% | TWIST BIOSCIENCE CORP 1.81% |
| APPLE INC 7.33% | HALOZYME THERAPEUTICS INC 1.47% |
| MICROSOFT CORP 5.59% | NATERA INC 1.46% |
| AMAZON.COM INC 3.77% | KYMERA THERAPEUTICS INC 1.45% |
| ALPHABET INC CL A 2.98% | TRAVERE THERAPEUTICS INC 1.40% |
| BROADCOM INC 2.61% | ROIVANT SCIENCES LTD 1.39% |
| ALPHABET INC CL C 2.39% | ORUKA THERAPEUTICS INC 1.38% |
| META PLATFORMS INC CLASS A 2.16% | REVOLUTION MEDICINES INC 1.36% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Sep 10, 2026.
| SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | XBI State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Biotech ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | State Street | State Street |
| What it is | S&P 500 | SPDR S&P Biotech |
| Total return, 1 year | +17.5% | +64.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | 0.0 pts | +46.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.35% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 100.0% | 8.5% |
| Holdings | 505 | 154 |
SPY in plain words
SPY is an index equity fund tracking the S&P 500. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +17.5% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 505 positions, with the top ten at 38.2%.
XBI in plain words
XBI is an index equity fund tracking the SPDR S&P Biotech. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +64.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 8% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 154 positions, with the top ten at 15.9%. It sat 9.6% below its high of Feb 8, 2021 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, SPY or XBI?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPY returned +17.5% and XBI returned +64.0%, so XBI returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, SPY or XBI?
- SPY charges 0.09% a year and XBI charges 0.35%, so SPY is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do SPY and XBI overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 100% of SPY and 8% of XBI by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 2% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
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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.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, SPY against XBI, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spy-vs-xbi Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources