Which paid more, XLEI or XLFI?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XLEI paid 22.3% of its starting price in cash and XLFI paid 10.7%, 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, XLEI or XLFI?

With every distribution reinvested, XLEI returned +39.2% and XLFI +8.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, XLEI or XLFI?

XLEI and XLFI 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

XLEI vs XLFI: 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 XLFI’s 10.7%, and returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $209m for State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETF and $13m for State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETF.

XLEI on its own →XLFI on its own →

At a glance

22.3%

XLEI cash paid, 1 year

10.7%

XLFI cash paid, 1 year

+39.2%

XLEI total return, 1 year

+8.1%

XLFI total return, 1 year

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

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

XLFI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 6.6 pts behind XLF

XLFI

+8.1%

XLF

+14.7%

6.6 pts behind XLF

XLFI over 1 year: paid 10.7%, price −3.2%, total +8.1%, XLF +14.7%, −6.6 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

XLF

+14.7%

XLFI

+8.1%

10.7% as cash

6.6 pts behind XLF

Total return, distributions reinvested

6.6 pts behind XLF

XLFI over 1 year: paid 10.7%, price −3.2%, total +8.1%, XLF +14.7%, −6.6 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

XLF

+14.7%

XLFI

+8.1%

6.6 pts behind XLF

10.7% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. XLFI over 1 year: paid 10.7%, price −3.2%, total +8.1%, XLF +14.7%, −6.6 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

Both cost 0.35% a year; their one-year returns differ by 31.1 points; XLEI is 16.1 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

XLEI vs XLFI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	XLEI	XLFI
Paid and earned
Measure	XLEI	XLFI
Total return, 1 year	+39.2%	+8.1%
Price change, 1 year	rose 13.8%	fell 3.2%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	100% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	XLEI	XLFI
Benchmark	Energy sector, measured through XLE	Financials sector, measured through XLF
Cost and size
Measure	XLEI	XLFI
Expense ratio	0.35%	0.35%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$209m	$13m
Holdings
Measure	XLEI	XLFI
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 Score82.3XLEI45.8XLFI

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

XLEI 82.3

XLFI 45.8

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

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, XLEI and XLFI 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 XLEI XLFI

Only in one fund ↓

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%

Only in XLFI

STATE STREET FINANCIAL SELECT 102.90%

STATE STREET FINANCIAL SELECT NOV26 58 CALL -0.06%

STATE STREET FINANCIAL SELECT NOV26 57.5 CALL -0.11%

STATE STREET FINANCIAL SELECT NOV26 57 CALL -0.18%

STATE STREET FINANCIAL SELECT NOV26 56 CALL -2.55%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

XLEI State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETF · Covered call on XLE, paying monthly XLFI State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETF · Covered call on XLF, paying monthly

Issuer State Street State Street

Strategy covered call covered call

Benchmark Energy sector (XLE) Financials sector (XLF)

Pays monthly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 22.0% 11.0%

Expense ratio 0.35% 0.35%

Cash paid, 1 year 22.3% 10.7%

Price change, 1 year +13.8% −3.2%

Total return, 1 year +39.2% +8.1%

Benchmark return, 1 year +49.8% +14.7%

Ahead or behind −10.6 pts −6.6 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 100% 100%

Age 1.3 years 1.3 years

Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $209m $13m

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: XLEI vs XLFI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	XLEI	XLFI	XLEI	XLFI	XLEI	XLFI
3 months	+9.7%	−0.3%	5.3%	2.3%	−1.8 pts	−2.7 pts
6 months	+14.8%	+9.0%	10.5%	5.0%	+1.9 pts	−6.0 pts
1 year	+39.2%	+8.1%	22.3%	10.7%	−10.6 pts	−6.6 pts
Since launchXLEI Jul 2025 · XLFI Jul 2025	+41.9%	+10.5%	27.2%	14.1%	−8.4 pts	−4.0 pts

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Alert

About each fund

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. 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.

XLFI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XLFI paid 10.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 3.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +8.1%. Financials sector (XLF) returned +14.7% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 6.6 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 11.0%, paid monthly.

Questions people ask

Which paid more, XLEI or XLFI?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XLEI paid 22.3% of its starting price in cash and XLFI paid 10.7%, 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, XLEI or XLFI?: With every distribution reinvested, XLEI returned +39.2% and XLFI +8.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, XLEI or XLFI?: XLEI and XLFI both charge 0.35% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

XLEI vs FINY XLEI vs XLII XLEI vs XLSI XLEI vs MLPD XLFI vs WEEI XLFI vs MDST XLFI vs GPTY XLFI vs AIPI

Where to next

Energy sector (XLE) →Financials sector (XLF) →XLEI on its own →XLFI on its own →XLEI dividend history →XLEI holdings →XLFI dividend history →XLFI holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

XLEI and XLFI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

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

XLEI 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

State Street website ↗

XLFI 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.

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

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