Which returned more over the last year, XLC or XLY?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, XLC returned −10.4% and XLY −3.6%.

Which is cheaper, XLC or XLY?

Neither: XLC and XLY both charge 0.08% a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do XLC and XLY overlap with the S&P 500?

By their latest filed holdings, 100% of XLC and 100% of XLY by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

XLC vs XLY: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XLC returned −10.4% to XLY's −3.6%; 0% 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 $22.4bn for State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF.

XLC on its own →XLY on its own →

At a glance

−10.4%

XLC total return, 1 year

−3.6%

XLY total return, 1 year

0.08%

XLC expense ratio

0.08%

XLY expense ratio

Pair scorecard

Both cost 0.08% a year; their one-year returns differ by 6.8 points.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

XLC vs XLY: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	XLC	XLY
Return
Measure	XLC	XLY
Total return, 1 year	−10.4%	−3.6%
Drawdown
Measure	XLC	XLY
Below its high	13.3%, high on Jan 30, 2026	6.8%, high on Jan 12, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	XLC	XLY
What it tracks	Communication Services Select Sector Index	Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Index
Cost and size
Measure	XLC	XLY
Expense ratio	0.08%	0.08%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$22.1bn	$22.4bn
Holdings
Measure	XLC	XLY
Holdings in common	0%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	75.3%	68.5%

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

Risk and return

Jun 29, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 434 weekly returns

XLC XLY

Return

Total return edge XLC (slight) +131.1% +123.7%

Annualized edge XLC (slight) +10.6% +10.1%

Price return edge XLC (slight) +113.0% +107.0%

Risk

Volatility edge XLC 20.0% 23.3%

Max drawdown edge XLY −45.9% −38.3%

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge XLC 0.46 0.41

Sortino edge XLC (slight) 0.66 0.61

Calmar edge XLY 0.23 0.26

Reading

XLC returned slightly more: +131.1% to +123.7%. XLC swung less: 20.0% to 23.3%. XLY fell less at its worst: −38.3% to −45.9%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: XLC vs XLY: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	XLC	XLY	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+131.1%	+123.7%	XLC (slight)	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+10.6%	+10.1%	XLC (slight)	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	+113.0%	+107.0%	XLC (slight)	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	20.0%	23.3%	XLC	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	14.0%	15.8%	XLC	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−45.9%	−38.3%	XLY	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.46	0.41	XLC	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.66	0.61	XLC (slight)	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar	0.23	0.26	XLY	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 XLY 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 XLC XLY

Only in one fund ↓

Only in XLC

META PLATFORMS INC CLASS A 21.45%

ALPHABET INC CL A 12.27%

ALPHABET INC CL C 9.82%

WALT DISNEY CO 5.33%

TAKE TWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWRE 4.80%

COMCAST CORP CLASS A 4.48%

VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC 4.45%

APPLOVIN CORP CLASS A 4.34%

Only in XLY

AMAZON.COM INC 22.43%

TESLA INC 19.15%

HOME DEPOT INC 5.30%

MCDONALD S CORP 4.31%

TJX COMPANIES INC 4.07%

STARBUCKS CORP 3.09%

BOOKING HOLDINGS INC 2.97%

LOWE S COS INC 2.92%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

XLC State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF XLY State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF

Where it sits Stock ETF Stock ETF

Issuer State Street State Street

What it is Tracks an index of Communication services Tracks an index of Consumer discretionary

Total return, 1 year −10.4% −3.6%

Its benchmark over the same days not measured +13.6% (SPY)

Gap to its benchmark not measured −17.2 pts vs SPY

Expense ratio 0.08% 0.08%

Already in the S&P 500 99.8% 99.9%

Holdings 23 48

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $22.1bn $22.4bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-0F45404DE4

XLC and XLY do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?

What each follows. XLC follows Communication Services Select Sector Index and XLY follows Consumer Discretionary 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 XLC returned −10.4% and XLY −3.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 6.8 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

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.

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. 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

Which returned more over the last year, XLC or XLY?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, XLC returned −10.4% and XLY −3.6%.
Which is cheaper, XLC or XLY?: Neither: XLC and XLY both charge 0.08% a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do XLC and XLY overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 100% of XLC and 100% of XLY by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Other comparisons

XHB vs XLC XLC vs XRT XLC vs XLU XLC vs XLP VOX vs XLY XLI vs XLY XLV vs XLY XLF vs XLY

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

XLC and XLY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

XLC and XLY 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, XLC against XLY, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xlc-vs-xly

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