Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
XLC vs XLG: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XLC returned −10.4% to XLG's +6.4%; 12% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $22.1bn for State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF and $11.9bn for Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLC costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 16.8 points; XLC is 1.9 times larger.
| Measure | XLC | XLG |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −10.4% | +6.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 13.3%, high on Jan 30, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Communication Services Select Sector Index | S&P 500 Top 50 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.08% | 0.20% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $22.1bn | $11.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 12% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 75.3% | 60.3% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 29, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 434 weekly returnsXLG returned more: +256.2% to +131.1%. XLG swung slightly less: 18.6% to 20.0%. XLG fell less at its worst: −28.7% to −45.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | XLC | XLG | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +131.1% | +256.2% | XLG | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +10.6% | +16.4% | XLG | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +113.0% | +223.0% | XLG | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 20.0% | 18.6% | XLG (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.0% | 12.7% | XLG (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −45.9% | −28.7% | XLG | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.46 | 0.76 | XLG | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.66 | 1.12 | XLG | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.23 | 0.57 | XLG | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 434 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, XLC and XLG hold 12% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
12% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
XLC and XLG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
XLC and XLG do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. XLC follows Communication Services Select Sector Index and XLG follows S&P 500 Top 50 Index.
- Holdings in common. 12% 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 XLG +6.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 16.8 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.
XLG
XLG tracks the S&P 500 top 50. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +6.4% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.20% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 98% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 53 positions, with the top ten at 60.3%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, XLC or XLG?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, XLC returned −10.4% and XLG +6.4%.
- Which is cheaper, XLC or XLG?
- XLC is cheaper, by 0.12 percentage points a year. That is about $12 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, XLC against XLG, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xlc-vs-xlg
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[XLC against XLG (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xlc-vs-xlg)
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