Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
XBI vs XLY: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XBI returned +41.2% to XLY's −3.6%, and XLY charges 0.08% to XBI's 0.35%.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about XBI and XLY
Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $10.3bn for State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF and $22.4bn for State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLY costs 0.27 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 44.8 points; XLY is 2.2 times larger.
| Measure | XBI | XLY |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +41.2% | −3.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 8.9%, high on Feb 8, 2021 | |
| Below its high | 6.8%, high on Jan 12, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Biotech | Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $10.3bn | $22.4bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 98% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 18% | 68.5% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, XBI and XLY 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 XLY on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
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.
XLY
XLY tracks an index of Consumer discretionary. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.6% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. 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 48 positions, with the top ten at 68.5%. It sat 6.8% below its high of Jan 12, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Are XBI and XLY in the same category?
- XBI is a thematic ETF and XLY 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 XLY?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, XBI returned +41.2% and XLY −3.6%.
- Which is cheaper, XBI or XLY?
- XLY is cheaper, by 0.27 percentage points a year. That is about $27 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, XBI against XLY, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xbi-vs-xly
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). XBI against XLY. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xbi-vs-xly
[XBI against XLY (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xbi-vs-xly)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.