Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
XBI vs XHB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XBI returned +41.2% to XHB's −8.6%.
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askIQ about XBI and XHBNet assets on Oct 27, 2026: $10.3bn for State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF and $1.5bn for State Street SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF.
Pair scorecard
Both cost 0.35% a year; their one-year returns differ by 49.8 points; XBI is 6.9 times larger.
| Measure | XBI | XHB |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +41.2% | −8.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 8.9%, high on Feb 8, 2021 | |
| Below its high | 20.5%, high on Oct 18, 2024 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Biotech | S&P Homebuilders Select Industry Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.35% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $10.3bn | $1.5bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 98% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 18% | 35.4% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 17, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,079 weekly returnsXBI returned more: +817.9% to +167.9%. XBI swung slightly less: 29.2% to 32.4%. XBI fell less at its worst: −61.5% to −81.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | XBI | XHB | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +817.9% | +167.9% | XBI | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +11.3% | +4.9% | XBI | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +767.9% | +119.5% | XBI | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 29.2% | 32.4% | XBI (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 20.0% | 21.8% | XBI (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −61.5% | −81.4% | XBI | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.45 | 0.25 | XBI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.66 | 0.38 | XBI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.18 | 0.06 | XBI | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,079 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, XBI and XHB hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
XBI and XHB on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
XBI and XHB do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. XBI follows Biotech and XHB follows S&P Homebuilders Select Industry Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 XBI returned +41.2% and XHB −8.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 49.8 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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XBI
By weight, 13% of XBI's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 98%. The top ten holdings are 18% of the fund across 165 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +41.2% with distributions reinvested. It sits 8.9% below its all-time high of Feb 8, 2021.
XHB
XHB tracks the S&P Homebuilders. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −8.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 46% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 34 positions, with the top ten at 35.4%. It sat 20.5% below its high of Oct 18, 2024 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Are XBI and XHB in the same category?
- XBI is a thematic ETF and XHB is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, XBI or XHB?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, XBI returned +41.2% and XHB −8.6%.
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, XBI against XHB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xbi-vs-xhb
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). XBI against XHB. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xbi-vs-xhb
[XBI against XHB (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xbi-vs-xhb)
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