Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VTEB vs XLF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VTEB returned −0.4% to XLF's +7.6%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $49.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Tax-Exempt Bond ETF, and $51.6bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
VTEB costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 8.0 points.
| Measure | VTEB | XLF |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −0.4% | +7.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.8%, high on Sep 3, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | S&P National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Index | Financial Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $49.6bn | $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
Sep 4, 2015 to Oct 23, 2026 · 581 weekly returnsXLF returned more: +275.0% to +26.3%. VTEB swung less: 6.7% to 21.6%. VTEB fell less at its worst: −14.8% to −39.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VTEB | XLF | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +26.3% | +275.0% | XLF | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +2.1% | +12.6% | XLF | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −2.9% | +146.8% | XLF | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 6.7% | 21.6% | VTEB | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 4.6% | 14.9% | VTEB | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −14.8% | −39.3% | VTEB | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.00 | 0.55 | XLF | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.01 | 0.80 | XLF | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.14 | 0.32 | XLF | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 581 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VTEB 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
VTEB and XLF on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VTEB and XLF do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VTEB follows S&P National AMT-Free Municipal 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 VTEB returned −0.4% and XLF +7.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 8.0 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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VTEB
VTEB tracks an index of Tax-Exempt Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −0.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year.
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, VTEB or XLF?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VTEB returned −0.4% and XLF +7.6%.
- Which is cheaper, VTEB or XLF?
- VTEB 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, VTEB against XLF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vteb-vs-xlf
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VTEB against XLF. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vteb-vs-xlf
[VTEB against XLF (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vteb-vs-xlf)
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