Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SPY vs XLY: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SPY returned +13.6% to XLY's −3.6%; 9% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about SPY and XLY
Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $814.8bn for SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust and $22.4bn for State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLY costs 0.01 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 17.2 points; SPY is far larger, $814.8bn against $22.4bn.
| Measure | SPY | XLY |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.6% | −3.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 6.8%, high on Jan 12, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | S&P 500 Index | Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $814.8bn | $22.4bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 9% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 38.1% | 68.5% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, SPY and XLY 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
SPY and XLY on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
SPY
SPY tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.6% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% 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 504 positions, with the top ten at 38.1%.
XLY
XLY tracks an index of Consumer discretionary. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.6% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. 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 48 positions, with the top ten at 68.5%. It sat 6.8% below its high of Jan 12, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, SPY or XLY?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPY returned +13.6% and XLY −3.6%.
- Which is cheaper, SPY or XLY?
- XLY is cheaper, by 0.01 percentage points a year. That is about $1 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, SPY against XLY, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spy-vs-xly
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). SPY against XLY. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spy-vs-xly
[SPY against XLY (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spy-vs-xly)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.