Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VDE vs XLE: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VDE returned +58.8% to XLE's +61.2%; 82% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $10.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Energy ETF, and $45.2bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLE costs 0.01 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.4 points; XLE is 3.8 times larger.
| Measure | VDE | XLE |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +58.8% | +61.2% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Energy 25/50 | Energy Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $10.4bn | $39.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 82% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 67.1% | 78.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Oct 8, 2004 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,150 weekly returnsXLE returned more: +612.6% to +538.7%. VDE and XLE swung about the same: 28.1% and 27.8%. XLE fell slightly less at its worst: −68.9% to −72.2%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VDE | XLE | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +538.7% | +612.6% | XLE | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.7% | +9.3% | XLE (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +269.6% | +283.1% | XLE (slight) | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 28.1% | 27.8% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 20.1% | 19.9% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −72.2% | −68.9% | XLE (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.38 | 0.40 | XLE (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.53 | 0.55 | XLE (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.12 | 0.13 | XLE | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,150 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VDE and XLE hold 82% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
82% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VDE and XLE on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VDE and XLE are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. VDE follows MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Energy 25/50 and XLE follows Energy Select Sector Index.
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VDE returned +58.8% and XLE +61.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 2.4 points.
- Number of holdings. VDE holds 113 positions and XLE holds 22.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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VDE
VDE tracks an index of Energy. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +58.8% with distributions reinvested, against +59.0% for its benchmark, the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Energy 25/50. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 81% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 113 positions, with the top ten at 67.1%.
XLE
XLE tracks an index of Energy. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +61.2% 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 22 positions, with the top ten at 78.1%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VDE or XLE?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VDE returned +58.8% and XLE +61.2%.
- Which is cheaper, VDE or XLE?
- XLE 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, VDE against XLE, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vde-vs-xle
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VDE against XLE. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vde-vs-xle
[VDE against XLE (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vde-vs-xle)
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