Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SPYG vs XLC: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SPYG returned +12.2% to XLC's −10.4%; 14% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $55.9bn for State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF and $22.1bn for State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
SPYG costs 0.04 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 22.6 points; SPYG is 2.5 times larger.
| Measure | SPYG | XLC |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +12.2% | −10.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.1%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | 13.3%, high on Jan 30, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | S&P 500 Growth Index | Communication Services Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.04% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $55.9bn | $22.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 14% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 59.6% | 75.3% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 29, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 434 weekly returnsSPYG returned more: +264.1% to +131.1%. XLC swung slightly less: 20.0% to 20.6%. SPYG fell less at its worst: −31.9% to −45.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | SPYG | XLC | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +264.1% | +131.1% | SPYG | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +16.7% | +10.6% | SPYG | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +236.4% | +113.0% | SPYG | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 20.6% | 20.0% | XLC (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.9% | 14.0% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −31.9% | −45.9% | SPYG | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.72 | 0.46 | SPYG | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.07 | 0.66 | SPYG | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.53 | 0.23 | SPYG | 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, SPYG and XLC hold 14% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
14% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
SPYG and XLC on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
SPYG and XLC do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. SPYG follows S&P 500 Growth Index and XLC follows Communication Services Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 14% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 SPYG returned +12.2% and XLC −10.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 22.6 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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SPYG
SPYG tracks the S&P 500 Growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +12.2% with distributions reinvested, against +12.1% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Growth Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% 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 152 positions, with the top ten at 59.6%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
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, SPYG or XLC?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPYG returned +12.2% and XLC −10.4%.
- Which is cheaper, SPYG or XLC?
- SPYG is cheaper, by 0.04 percentage points a year. That is about $4 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, SPYG against XLC, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spyg-vs-xlc
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). SPYG against XLC. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spyg-vs-xlc
[SPYG against XLC (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spyg-vs-xlc)
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