Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VUSB vs XLV: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VUSB returned +3.5% to XLV's +25.6%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $9.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF, and $47.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLV costs 0.02 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 22.1 points; XLV is 4.4 times larger.
| Measure | VUSB | XLV |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +3.5% | +25.6% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | Health Care Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.10% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $9.9bn | $43.4bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 100% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 60.6% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 16, 2021 to Oct 23, 2026 · 288 weekly returnsXLV returned more: +61.2% to +20.0%. VUSB swung less: 0.8% to 15.1%. VUSB fell less at its worst: −1.7% to −16.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VUSB | XLV | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +20.0% | +61.2% | XLV | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +3.3% | +9.0% | XLV | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −1.0% | +47.6% | XLV | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 0.8% | 15.1% | VUSB | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 0.6% | 10.3% | VUSB | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −1.7% | −16.1% | VUSB | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | −0.33 | 0.41 | XLV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | −0.45 | 0.60 | XLV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 1.96 | 0.56 | VUSB | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 288 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VUSB and XLV 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
VUSB and XLV on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VUSB and XLV do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VUSB follows No index, actively managed and XLV follows Health Care 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 VUSB returned +3.5% and XLV +25.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 22.1 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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VUSB
VUSB is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +3.5% with distributions reinvested, against −1.4% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.10% a year.
XLV
XLV tracks an index of Health care. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +25.6% 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 62 positions, with the top ten at 60.6%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VUSB or XLV?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VUSB returned +3.5% and XLV +25.6%.
- Which is cheaper, VUSB or XLV?
- XLV is cheaper, by 0.02 percentage points a year. That is about $2 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, VUSB against XLV, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vusb-vs-xlv
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VUSB against XLV. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vusb-vs-xlv
[VUSB against XLV (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vusb-vs-xlv)
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