Are XBI and XRT in the same category?

XBI is a thematic ETF and XRT 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 XRT?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, XBI returned +41.2% and XRT +2.4%.

Which is cheaper, XBI or XRT?

Neither: XBI and XRT both charge 0.35% a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do XBI and XRT overlap with the S&P 500?

By their latest filed holdings, 13% of XBI and 22% of XRT by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

XBI vs XRT: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XBI returned +41.2% to XRT's +2.4%.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $10.3bn for State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF and $362m for State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF.

XBI on its own →XRT on its own →

At a glance

+41.2%

XBI total return, 1 year

+2.4%

XRT total return, 1 year

0.35%

XBI expense ratio

0.35%

XRT expense ratio

Pair scorecard

Both cost 0.35% a year; their one-year returns differ by 38.8 points; XBI is far larger, $10.3bn against $362m.

XBI vs XRT: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	XBI	XRT
Return
Measure	XBI	XRT
Total return, 1 year	+41.2%	+2.4%
Drawdown
Measure	XBI	XRT
Below its all-time high	8.9%, high on Feb 8, 2021
Below its high		9.9%, high on Nov 16, 2021
Benchmark
Measure	XBI	XRT
What it tracks	Biotech	S&P Retail Select Industry Index
Cost and size
Measure	XBI	XRT
Expense ratio	0.35%	0.35%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$10.3bn	$362m
Active share vs the S&P 500	98%
Holdings
Measure	XBI	XRT
Holdings in common	0%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	18%	16.6%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, XBI and XRT hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first XBI XRT

Only in one fund ↓

Only in XBI

MODERNA INC 2.24%

TWIST BIOSCIENCE CORP 1.86%

NATERA INC 1.82%

BIOGEN INC 1.75%

HALOZYME THERAPEUTICS INC 1.75%

UNITED THERAPEUTICS CORP 1.71%

AMGEN INC 1.68%

ABBVIE INC 1.67%

Only in XRT

KOHLS CORP 1.85%

MAPLEBEAR INC 1.76%

BATH + BODY WORKS INC 1.69%

ETSY INC 1.68%

VICTORIA S SECRET + CO 1.66%

BJ S WHOLESALE CLUB HOLDINGS 1.62%

GAMESTOP CORP CLASS A 1.60%

OLLIE S BARGAIN OUTLET HOLDI 1.60%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

XBI State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF XRT State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF

Where it sits Thematic ETF Stock ETF

Issuer State Street State Street

What it is Biotech Tracks the S&P Retail

Total return, 1 year +41.2% +2.4%

Expense ratio 0.35% 0.35%

Already in the S&P 500 13.2% 22.5%

Holdings 165 74

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $10.3bn $362m

XBI and XRT on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Alert

About each fund

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.

XRT

XRT tracks the S&P Retail. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +2.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 74 positions, with the top ten at 16.6%. It sat 9.9% below its high of Nov 16, 2021 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Are XBI and XRT in the same category?: XBI is a thematic ETF and XRT 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 XRT?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, XBI returned +41.2% and XRT +2.4%.
Which is cheaper, XBI or XRT?: Neither: XBI and XRT both charge 0.35% a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do XBI and XRT overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 13% of XBI and 22% of XRT by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Other comparisons

XBI vs XLY XBI vs XHB XBI vs XOP VPU vs XBI IBB vs XRT PDBC vs XRT CGBL vs XRT IJS vs XRT

Where to next

XBI on its own →XRT on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →XBI dividend history →XBI holdings →XRT dividend history →XRT holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

XBI and XRT filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

XBI and XRT prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

State Street website ↗

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 XRT, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xbi-vs-xrt

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.