Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
XLG vs XLU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XLG returned +6.4% to XLU's −3.0%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $11.9bn for Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF and $23.9bn for State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLU costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 9.4 points; XLU is 2.0 times larger.
| Measure | XLG | XLU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +6.4% | −3.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 9.1%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | S&P 500 Top 50 Index | Utilities Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.20% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $11.9bn | $23.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 60.3% | 58.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 20, 2005 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,118 weekly returnsXLG returned more: +882.5% to +496.0%. XLG swung slightly less: 17.0% to 17.9%. XLU fell less at its worst: −45.2% to −51.7%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | XLG | XLU | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +882.5% | +496.0% | XLG | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +11.2% | +8.7% | XLG | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +572.4% | +185.0% | XLG | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 17.0% | 17.9% | XLG (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 11.8% | 12.8% | XLG (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −51.7% | −45.2% | XLU | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.61 | 0.45 | XLG | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.87 | 0.63 | XLG | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.22 | 0.19 | XLG | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,118 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, XLG and XLU 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
XLG and XLU on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
XLG and XLU do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. XLG follows S&P 500 Top 50 Index and XLU follows Utilities 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 XLG returned +6.4% and XLU −3.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 9.4 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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%.
XLU
XLU tracks an index of Utilities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.0% 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 32 positions, with the top ten at 58.7%. It sat 9.1% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, XLG or XLU?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, XLG returned +6.4% and XLU −3.0%.
- Which is cheaper, XLG or XLU?
- XLU 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, XLG against XLU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xlg-vs-xlu
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). XLG against XLU. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xlg-vs-xlu
[XLG against XLU (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xlg-vs-xlu)
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