Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VEA vs XLE: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VEA returned +17.1% to XLE's +61.2%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $231.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF, and $45.2bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
VEA costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 44.1 points; VEA is 5.9 times larger.
| Measure | VEA | XLE |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +17.1% | +61.2% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.4%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index | Energy Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $231.6bn | $39.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 13.6% | 78.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Aug 3, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,003 weekly returnsXLE returned more: +276.7% to +160.9%. VEA swung less: 19.5% to 28.4%. VEA fell less at its worst: −59.0% to −68.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VEA | XLE | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +160.9% | +276.7% | XLE | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +5.1% | +7.1% | XLE | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +46.4% | +109.7% | XLE | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.5% | 28.4% | VEA | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.2% | 20.4% | VEA | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −59.0% | −68.9% | VEA | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.28 | 0.33 | XLE | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.38 | 0.47 | XLE | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.09 | 0.10 | XLE | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,003 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VEA and XLE 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
VEA and XLE on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VEA and XLE do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VEA follows FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index and XLE follows Energy 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 VEA returned +17.1% and XLE +61.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 44.1 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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VEA
VEA tracks an index of Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.1% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3,906 positions, with the top ten at 13.6%. It sat 4.4% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
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, VEA or XLE?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VEA returned +17.1% and XLE +61.2%.
- Which is cheaper, VEA or XLE?
- VEA 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, VEA against XLE, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vea-vs-xle
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VEA against XLE. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vea-vs-xle
[VEA against XLE (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vea-vs-xle)
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