Which paid more, XLBI or XLEI?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XLBI paid 15.9% of its starting price in cash and XLEI paid 22.3%, so XLEI paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.

Which returned more once distributions are counted, XLBI or XLEI?

With every distribution reinvested, XLBI returned +18.5% and XLEI +39.2% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, XLBI or XLEI?

XLBI and XLEI both charge 0.35% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

XLBI vs XLEI: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XLEI paid 22.3% of its price in cash against XLBI’s 15.9%, and returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets: $9.4m on Nov 2, 2026 for State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETF, and $209m on Nov 3, 2026 for State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETF.

XLBI on its own →XLEI on its own →

At a glance

15.9%

XLBI cash paid, 1 year

22.3%

XLEI cash paid, 1 year

+18.5%

XLBI total return, 1 year

+39.2%

XLEI total return, 1 year

XLBI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 11 pts behind XLB

XLBI

+18.5%

XLB

+29.5%

11 pts behind XLB

XLBI over 1 year: paid 15.9%, price +1.6%, total +18.5%, XLB +29.5%, −11.0 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

XLB

+29.5%

XLBI

+18.5%

15.9% of it arrived as cash

11 pts behind XLB

Total return, distributions reinvested

11 pts behind XLB

XLBI over 1 year: paid 15.9%, price +1.6%, total +18.5%, XLB +29.5%, −11.0 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

XLB

+29.5%

XLBI

+18.5%

11 pts behind XLB

15.9% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. XLBI over 1 year: paid 15.9%, price +1.6%, total +18.5%, XLB +29.5%, −11.0 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

XLEI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 10.6 pts behind XLE

XLEI

+39.2%

XLE

+49.8%

10.6 pts behind XLE

XLEI over 1 year: paid 22.3%, price +13.8%, total +39.2%, XLE +49.8%, −10.6 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

XLE

+49.8%

XLEI

+39.2%

22.3% of it arrived as cash

10.6 pts behind XLE

Total return, distributions reinvested

10.6 pts behind XLE

XLEI over 1 year: paid 22.3%, price +13.8%, total +39.2%, XLE +49.8%, −10.6 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

XLE

+49.8%

XLEI

+39.2%

10.6 pts behind XLE

22.3% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +49.8%. XLEI over 1 year: paid 22.3%, price +13.8%, total +39.2%, XLE +49.8%, −10.6 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Both charts share one scale, 0 to +49.8%. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

Both cost 0.35% a year; their one-year returns differ by 20.7 points; XLEI is far larger, $209m against $9.8m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

XLBI vs XLEI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	XLBI	XLEI
Paid and earned
Measure	XLBI	XLEI
Total return, 1 year	+18.5%	+39.2%
Price change, 1 year	rose 1.6%	rose 13.8%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	100% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	XLBI	XLEI
Benchmark	Materials, measured through XLB	Energy sector, measured through XLE
Against its benchmark, same days	behind by 11.0 pts	behind by 10.6 pts
Cost and size
Measure	XLBI	XLEI
Expense ratio	0.35%	0.35%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$9.8m	$209m
Holdings
Measure	XLBI	XLEI
Holdings in common	0%

ETFIQ Distribution Coverage Score · XLEI scores higher How much of what it paid out did its total return cover?

IQ Income Score69.2XLBI82.3XLEI

How much of its payouts the fund's total return covered, ranked against 167 income ETFs not writing on a single company. 100 is best. How it is computed

XLBI 69.2

XLEI 82.3

0.3, the lowest in this set 99.7, the highest

One year only, and a ratio of two published numbers: it says nothing about where a distribution came from. All income ETFs ranked by it →

Method

Risk and return

Aug 8, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026 · 64 weekly returns

XLBI XLEI

Return

Total return edge XLEI +16.2% +55.9%

Annualized edge XLEI +13.0% +43.4%

Price return edge XLEI −2.7% +22.3%

Risk

Volatility edge XLBI 12.5% 15.6%

Max drawdown edge XLEI −10.6% −7.9%

Downside capture 78.2% 78.9%

Beta 0.72 0.67

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge XLEI 0.74 2.15

Sortino edge XLEI 1.01 3.42

Treynor 0.128 0.501

Calmar edge XLEI 1.22 5.47

Against the benchmark

Alpha −0.7% a year +5.1% a year

Alpha t-stat −0.19 1.28

Information ratio −0.75 −1.04

Tracking error 6.1% 8.6%

Each against its own benchmark: XLBI against XLB, Aug 8, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026; XLEI against XLE, Aug 8, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026.

Reading

From Aug 2025 to Oct 2026, XLEI returned more: +55.9% to +16.2%. XLBI swung less: 12.5% to 15.6%. XLEI fell less at its worst: −7.9% to −10.6%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: XLBI vs XLEI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	XLBI	XLEI	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+16.2%	+55.9%	XLEI	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+13.0%	+43.4%	XLEI	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	−2.7%	+22.3%	XLEI	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	12.5%	15.6%	XLBI	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	9.1%	9.8%	XLBI (slight)	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−10.6%	−7.9%	XLEI	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture	61.0%	57.9%		Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture	78.2%	78.9%		Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta	0.72	0.67	Not an edge	How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared	0.90	0.92	Not an edge	Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.74	2.15	XLEI	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	1.01	3.42	XLEI	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor	0.128	0.501		Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar	1.22	5.47	XLEI	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
Benchmark	XLB	XLE		The ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha	−0.7% a year	+5.1% a year	Not significant	Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat	−0.19	1.28	Not an edge	How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range	−7.9% to +6.6%	−2.9% to +13.2%	Includes zero	The 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio	−0.75	−1.04		Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error	6.1%	8.6%	Not an edge	How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 64 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, XLBI and XLEI hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first XLBI XLEI

Only in one fund ↓

Only in XLBI

STATE STREET MATERIALS SELECT 103.82%

STATE STREET MATERIALS SELECT NOV26 55 CALL -0.03%

STATE STREET MATERIALS SELECT NOV26 53 CALL -0.19%

STATE STREET MATERIALS SELECT NOV26 51 CALL -3.71%

Only in XLEI

STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC 100.78%

STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC NOV26 70.5 CALL -0.02%

STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC NOV26 72.5 CALL -0.02%

STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC NOV26 69 CALL -0.04%

STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC NOV26 71 CALL -0.07%

STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC NOV26 70 CALL -0.76%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

XLBI State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETF · Covered call on XLB, paying monthly XLEI State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETF · Covered call on XLE, paying monthly

Issuer State Street State Street

Strategy covered call covered call

Benchmark Materials (XLB) Energy sector (XLE)

Pays monthly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 17.2% 22.0%

Expense ratio 0.35% 0.35%

Cash paid, 1 year 15.9% 22.3%

Price change, 1 year +1.6% +13.8%

Total return, 1 year +18.5% +39.2%

Benchmark return, 1 year +29.5% +49.8%

Ahead or behind −11.0 pts −10.6 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 100% 100%

Age 1.3 years 1.3 years

Net assets, XLBI as of Nov 2, 2026 and XLEI as of Nov 3, 2026 $9.4m $209m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ. Cash paid: distributions over the window, as a share of the starting price. Payout rate: the latest payment, annualized, over today’s price.

Window by window

Window by window: XLBI vs XLEI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	XLBI	XLEI	XLBI	XLEI	XLBI	XLEI
3 months	+0.8%	+9.7%	3.6%	5.3%	−2.0 pts	−1.8 pts
6 months	+3.4%	+14.8%	6.7%	10.5%	−0.3 pts	+1.9 pts
1 year	+18.5%	+39.2%	15.9%	22.3%	−11.0 pts	−10.6 pts
Since launchXLBI Jul 2025 · XLEI Jul 2025	+16.4%	+41.9%	18.9%	27.2%	−7.7 pts	−8.4 pts

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Alert

About each fund

XLBI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XLBI paid 15.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 1.6%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +18.5%. Materials (XLB) returned +29.5% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 11.0 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 17.2%, paid monthly. State Street estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Nov 5, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

XLEI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XLEI paid 22.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 13.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +39.2%. Energy sector (XLE) returned +49.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 10.6 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 22.0%, paid monthly.

Questions people ask

Which paid more, XLBI or XLEI?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XLBI paid 15.9% of its starting price in cash and XLEI paid 22.3%, so XLEI paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, XLBI or XLEI?: With every distribution reinvested, XLBI returned +18.5% and XLEI +39.2% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, XLBI or XLEI?: XLBI and XLEI both charge 0.35% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

XLBI vs WEEI XLBI vs MDST XLBI vs AIPI XLBI vs NDIV XLEI vs AIPI XLEI vs HAKY XLEI vs MLPD XLEI vs NDIV

Where to next

Materials (XLB) →Energy sector (XLE) →XLBI on its own →XLEI on its own →XLBI dividend history →XLBI holdings →XLEI dividend history →XLEI holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

XLBI and XLEI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

XLBI and XLEI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

XLBI 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

State Street website ↗

XLEI 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

It is a place in a set, not a rating or a recommendation.

Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.

Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, XLBI against XLEI, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/xlbi-vs-xlei

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