Which returned more over the last year, VCLT or XLB?

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VCLT returned −4.8% and XLB returned +12.0%, so XLB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, VCLT or XLB?

VCLT charges 0.03% a year and XLB charges 0.08%, so VCLT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

VCLT vs XLB: how they differ

VCLT and XLB hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and XLB returned more over the year.

Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund and State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, VCLT and XLB hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in VCLT	Only in XLB
Anheuser-Busch Cos LLC / Anheuser-Busch 0.38%	LINDE PLC 12.91%
CVS Health Corp 0.34%	NEWMONT CORP 8.14%
Meta Platforms Inc 0.29%	FREEPORT MCMORAN INC 6.19%
Boeing Co/The 0.27%	CORTEVA INC 5.11%
Pfizer Investment Enterprises Pte Ltd 0.27%	AIR PRODUCTS + CHEMICALS INC 4.78%
Amazon.com Inc 0.26%	ECOLAB INC 4.75%
Oracle Corp 0.24%	SHERWIN WILLIAMS CO/THE 4.70%
AT&T Inc 0.24%	NUCOR CORP 4.59%

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 May 31, 2026 and Sep 10, 2026.

VCLT and XLB on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	VCLT Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond Index Fund	XLB State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	Vanguard	State Street
What it is	Long-Term Corporate Bond	Materials
Total return, 1 year	−4.8%	+12.0%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−22.3 pts	−5.5 pts
Expense ratio	0.03%	0.08%
Holdings	2775	27

VCLT in plain words

VCLT is a bond fund tracking the Long-Term Corporate Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −4.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. It sat 18.1% below its high of Sep 22, 2021 on Sep 11, 2026.

XLB in plain words

XLB is an index equity fund tracking the Materials. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +12.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% 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 27 positions, with the top ten at 59.4%. It sat 5.1% below its high of Aug 26, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, VCLT or XLB?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VCLT returned −4.8% and XLB returned +12.0%, so XLB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, VCLT or XLB?: VCLT charges 0.03% a year and XLB charges 0.08%, so VCLT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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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.

VCLT against XLB, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 13, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, VCLT against XLB, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vclt-vs-xlb Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources