Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VDE vs XLU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VDE returned +58.8% to XLU's −3.0%; 0% 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 $23.9bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLU costs 0.01 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 61.8 points; XLU is 2.0 times larger.
| Measure | VDE | XLU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +58.8% | −3.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 9.1%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Energy 25/50 | Utilities Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $10.4bn | $21.3bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 67.1% | 58.7% |
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 returnsXLU returned more: +609.3% to +538.7%. XLU swung less: 17.8% to 28.1%. XLU fell less at its worst: −45.2% to −72.2%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VDE | XLU | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +538.7% | +609.3% | XLU | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.7% | +9.3% | XLU (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +269.6% | +233.4% | VDE | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 28.1% | 17.8% | XLU | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 20.1% | 12.7% | XLU | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −72.2% | −45.2% | XLU | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.38 | 0.48 | XLU | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.53 | 0.68 | XLU | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.12 | 0.20 | XLU | 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 XLU 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
VDE and XLU on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VDE and XLU do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VDE follows MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Energy 25/50 and XLU follows Utilities 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 VDE returned +58.8% and XLU −3.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 61.8 points.
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%.
XLU
XLU tracks an index of Utilities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.0% 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 32 positions, with the top ten at 58.7%. It sat 9.1% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VDE or XLU?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VDE returned +58.8% and XLU −3.0%.
- Which is cheaper, VDE or XLU?
- XLU 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.
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ETFIQ, VDE against XLU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vde-vs-xlu
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VDE against XLU. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vde-vs-xlu
[VDE against XLU (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vde-vs-xlu)
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