Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VCLT vs XLF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VCLT returned −5.9% to XLF's +7.6%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $7.5bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF, and $51.6bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
VCLT costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 13.5 points; XLF is 6.8 times larger.
| Measure | VCLT | XLF |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −5.9% | +7.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 17.8%, high on Sep 22, 2021 | 3.8%, high on Sep 3, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Bloomberg U.S. 10+ Year Corporate Bond Index | Financial Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $7.5bn | $51.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 100% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 57.4% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 4, 2009 to Oct 23, 2026 · 881 weekly returnsXLF returned more: +535.0% to +101.2%. VCLT swung less: 12.5% to 20.8%. VCLT fell less at its worst: −34.0% to −39.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VCLT | XLF | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +101.2% | +535.0% | XLF | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.2% | +11.5% | XLF | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −6.3% | +282.1% | XLF | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 12.5% | 20.8% | VCLT | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 8.7% | 14.3% | VCLT | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −34.0% | −39.3% | VCLT | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.27 | 0.56 | XLF | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.39 | 0.81 | XLF | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.12 | 0.29 | XLF | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 881 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VCLT and XLF hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VCLT and XLF on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VCLT and XLF do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VCLT follows Bloomberg U.S. 10+ Year Corporate Bond Index and XLF follows Financial Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VCLT returned −5.9% and XLF +7.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 13.5 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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VCLT
VCLT tracks an index of Long-Term Corporate Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −5.9% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. It sat 17.8% below its high of Sep 22, 2021 on Oct 28, 2026.
XLF
XLF tracks an index of Financials. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +7.6% 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 77 positions, with the top ten at 57.4%. It sat 3.8% below its high of Sep 3, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VCLT or XLF?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VCLT returned −5.9% and XLF +7.6%.
- Which is cheaper, VCLT or XLF?
- VCLT is cheaper, by 0.05 percentage points a year. That is about $5 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, VCLT against XLF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vclt-vs-xlf
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VCLT against XLF. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vclt-vs-xlf
[VCLT against XLF (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vclt-vs-xlf)
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