Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VWO vs XLF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VWO returned +4.8% to XLF's +7.6%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about VWO and XLF
Net assets: $125.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF, and $51.6bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
VWO costs 0.02 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.8 points; VWO is 2.5 times larger.
| Measure | VWO | XLF |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +4.8% | +7.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 7.0%, high on Sep 4, 2026 | 3.8%, high on Sep 3, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index | Financial Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $125.4bn | $51.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 29.8% | 57.4% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VWO 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
VWO and XLF on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VWO
VWO tracks an index of Emerging markets. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +4.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% 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 6,515 positions, with the top ten at 29.8%. It sat 7.0% below its high of Sep 4, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
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, VWO or XLF?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VWO returned +4.8% and XLF +7.6%.
- Which is cheaper, VWO or XLF?
- VWO 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, VWO against XLF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vwo-vs-xlf
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VWO against XLF. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vwo-vs-xlf
[VWO against XLF (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vwo-vs-xlf)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.