Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
XLC vs XLCI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XLC returned −10.4% to XLCI's −3.5%, and XLC charges 0.08% to XLCI's 0.35%.
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Net assets: $22.1bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF, and $3.3m on Oct 26, 2026 for State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLC costs 0.27 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.9 points; XLC is far larger, $22.2bn against $3.3m.
| Measure | XLC | XLCI |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −10.4% | −3.5% |
| Price change, 1 year | fell 11.5% | fell 13.7% |
| Latest payout, annualized | 12.2% | |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 68% of the Oct 5, 2026 payment | |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 13.3%, high on Jan 30, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Communication Services Select Sector Index | Benchmark: Communication services, measured through XLC |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.08% | 0.35% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 26, 2026 | $22.2bn | $3.3m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 100% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 75.3% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Aug 8, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026 · 63 weekly returnsXLCI returned more: +2.3% to −0.4%. XLCI swung less: 12.5% to 15.6%. XLCI fell less at its worst: −8.0% to −11.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | XLC | XLCI | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | −0.4% | +2.3% | XLCI | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | −0.3% | +1.9% | XLCI | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −2.0% | −10.6% | XLC | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 15.6% | 12.5% | XLCI | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 11.3% | 9.1% | XLCI | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −11.3% | −8.0% | XLCI | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | −0.19 | −0.09 | XLCI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | −0.26 | −0.13 | XLCI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | −0.03 | 0.24 | XLCI | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 63 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, XLC and XLCI 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
XLC and XLCI on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ. Cash paid: distributions over the window, as a share of the starting price.
XLC and XLCI do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. XLC follows Communication Services Select Sector Index and XLCI is measured against Communication services through XLC.
- 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 XLC returned −10.4% and XLCI −3.5% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 6.9 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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XLC
XLC tracks an index of Communication services. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −10.4% 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 23 positions, with the top ten at 75.3%. It sat 13.3% below its high of Jan 30, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
XLCI
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XLCI paid 10.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 13.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −3.5%. Communication services (XLC) returned −10.4% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 6.9 pts. At its price on Oct 28, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 12.2%, paid monthly. State Street estimates that 68% of the distribution paid Oct 5, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.
Questions people ask
- Are XLC and XLCI in the same category?
- XLC is a stock ETF and XLCI is an option-income ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, XLC or XLCI?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, XLC returned −10.4% and XLCI −3.5%.
- Which is cheaper, XLC or XLCI?
- XLC 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.
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How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, XLC against XLCI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xlc-vs-xlci
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). XLC against XLCI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xlc-vs-xlci
[XLC against XLCI (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xlc-vs-xlci)
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