Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
XHB vs XLF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XHB returned −8.6% to XLF's +7.6%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $1.5bn for State Street SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF and $51.6bn for State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLF costs 0.27 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 16.2 points; XLF is far larger, $51.6bn against $1.5bn.
| Measure | XHB | XLF |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −8.6% | +7.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 20.5%, high on Oct 18, 2024 | 3.8%, high on Sep 3, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | S&P Homebuilders Select Industry Index | Financial Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $1.5bn | $51.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 35.4% | 57.4% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 17, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,079 weekly returnsXLF returned more: +220.2% to +167.9%. XLF swung less: 27.1% to 32.4%. XHB and XLF fell about the same at their worst: −81.4% and −82.7%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | XHB | XLF | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +167.9% | +220.2% | XLF | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.9% | +5.8% | XLF | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +119.5% | +72.4% | XHB | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 32.4% | 27.1% | XLF | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 21.8% | 18.6% | XLF | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −81.4% | −82.7% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.25 | 0.28 | XLF (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.38 | 0.40 | XLF (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.06 | 0.07 | XLF | 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, XHB and XLF 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
XHB and XLF on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
XHB and XLF do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. XHB follows S&P Homebuilders Select Industry Index and XLF follows Financial Select Sector 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 XHB returned −8.6% and XLF +7.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 16.2 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
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, XHB or XLF?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, XHB returned −8.6% and XLF +7.6%.
- Which is cheaper, XHB or XLF?
- XLF 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.
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ETFIQ, XHB against XLF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xhb-vs-xlf
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). XHB against XLF. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xhb-vs-xlf
[XHB against XLF (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xhb-vs-xlf)
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