Are TLT and XTR in the same category?

TLT is a bond ETF and XTR is an alternatives ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.

Which returned more over the last year, TLT or XTR?

In the year to Nov 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, TLT returned −4.8% and XTR +10.2%.

Which is cheaper, TLT or XTR?

TLT is cheaper, by 0.10 percentage points a year. That is about $10 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Across categories

TLT vs XTR: Differences, Returns & Fees

Share on X Download as PDF

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, TLT returned −4.8% to XTR's +10.2%, and TLT charges 0.15% to XTR's 0.25%.

askIQ about this page

askIQ about TLT and XTR

Net assets: $48.3bn on Nov 3, 2026 for iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF, and $5.0m on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X S&P 500 Tail Risk ETF.

TLT on its own →XTR on its own →

At a glance

−4.8%

TLT total return, 1 year

+10.2%

XTR total return, 1 year

0.15%

TLT expense ratio

0.25%

XTR expense ratio

Pair scorecard

TLT costs 0.10 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 15.0 points; TLT is far larger, $48.6bn against $5.0m.

TLT vs XTR: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	TLT	XTR
Return
Measure	TLT	XTR
Total return, 1 year	−4.8%	+10.2%
Total return, 52 weeks		+9.9%
Drawdown
Measure	TLT	XTR
Below its high	41.8%, high on Aug 4, 2020
Against its benchmark
Measure	TLT	XTR
What it tracks	ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index	not published
Treasury bills, 52 weeks		+3.7%
Against cash		6.3 points ahead
Cost and size
Measure	TLT	XTR
Expense ratio	0.15%	0.25%
Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026	$48.6bn	$5.0m
Holdings
Measure	TLT	XTR
Holdings in common	not published
Risk
Measure	TLT	XTR
Correlation with the S&P 500’s weekly returns		+1.00
Beta to the S&P 500		+0.94: about 0.94% for each 1%
Its average week when the S&P 500 fell		fell 1.07%
Down-week capture		100.0%
Weeks the S&P 500 fell		26 of 52, by 1.07% on average

Method

Side by side

TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF XTR Global X S&P 500 Tail Risk ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Alternatives ETF

Issuer iShares Global X

What it is Tracks an index of 20+ year Treasuries Hedged equity

Total return, 1 year −4.8% +10.2%

Its benchmark over the same days −4.7% (BBLB) +14.8% (VOO)

Gap to its benchmark −0.1 pts vs BBLB −4.6 pts vs VOO

Expense ratio 0.15% 0.25%

Holdings 47 not read by ETFIQ

Net assets, TLT as of Nov 3, 2026 and XTR as of Oct 12, 2026 $48.3bn $5.0m

TLT and XTR on the fields both publish, as of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Alert

About each fund

TLT

TLT tracks an index of 20+ year Treasuries. Over the year to Nov 4, 2026 it returned −4.8% with distributions reinvested, against −4.7% for its benchmark, the ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. It sat 41.8% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Nov 4, 2026.

XTR

XTR is a hedged equity fund. ETFIQ measures what every alternatives fund is sold on: whether it moves differently from the stock market. Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, its weekly returns had a correlation of +1.00 with the S&P 500’s and a beta of +0.94, so for each 1% the index moved it moved about 0.94% the same way. The S&P 500 fell in 26 of those 52 weeks, by 1.07% on average. In the same weeks XTR fell 1.07% on average, a down-week capture of 100.0%. Over the same 52 weeks XTR returned +9.9% and a Treasury bill fund +3.7%, so it finished 6.3 percentage points ahead of cash.

Questions people ask

Are TLT and XTR in the same category?: TLT is a bond ETF and XTR is an alternatives ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
Which returned more over the last year, TLT or XTR?: In the year to Nov 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, TLT returned −4.8% and XTR +10.2%.
Which is cheaper, TLT or XTR?: TLT is cheaper, by 0.10 percentage points a year. That is about $10 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

QTR vs TLT THEQ vs TLT TLT vs TOAK HEQT vs TLT AGG vs XTR BND vs XTR GLD vs XTR VOO vs XTR

Where to next

BIL, the T-bill fund these are measured against →SPY, the S&P 500 fund these are measured against →TLT on its own →XTR on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →TLT dividend history →TLT holdings →XTR dividend history →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

TLT filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

TLT prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for TLT ↗

XTR filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

XTR prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Global X page for XTR ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, TLT against XTR, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/tlt-vs-xtr

Open data →

Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.