Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
XLF vs XLK: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XLF returned +7.6% to XLK's +27.1%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $51.6bn for State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF and $125.0bn for State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
Both cost 0.08% a year; their one-year returns differ by 19.5 points; XLK is 2.4 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | XLF | XLK |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +7.6% | +27.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.8%, high on Sep 3, 2026 | 5.4%, high on Oct 6, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Financial Select Sector Index | Technology Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.08% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $51.6bn | $125.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 57.4% | 64.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 31, 1998 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,451 weekly returnsXLK returned more: +1,419.1% to +402.6%. XLK swung slightly less: 23.7% to 26.2%. XLF and XLK fell about the same at their worst: −82.7% and −81.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | XLF | XLK | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +402.6% | +1,419.1% | XLK | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +6.0% | +10.2% | XLK | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +138.5% | +1,023.1% | XLK | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 26.2% | 23.7% | XLK (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 17.8% | 16.6% | XLK (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −82.7% | −81.4% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.28 | 0.46 | XLK | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.42 | 0.65 | XLK | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.07 | 0.13 | XLK | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,451 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, XLF and XLK 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
XLF and XLK on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
XLF and XLK do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. XLF follows Financial Select Sector Index and XLK follows Technology 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 XLF returned +7.6% and XLK +27.1% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 19.5 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
XLK
XLK tracks an index of Technology. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +27.1% 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 76 positions, with the top ten at 64.6%. It sat 5.4% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
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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, XLF against XLK, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xlf-vs-xlk
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[XLF against XLK (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xlf-vs-xlk)
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