Data as of .
XLEI vs XLFI: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year XLEI paid 20.7% of its price in cash against XLFI’s 10.9%, and returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: XLEI scores higher
Was the payout funded by returns, or by your own capital?
A percentile among the 173 income ETFs writing on an index or proxy. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All income ETFs ranked by it · How it is computed
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, XLEI and XLFI hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | XLEI | XLFI |
|---|---|---|
| SSI US GOV MONEY MARKET CLASS | 0.51% | 0.48% |
| Only in XLEI | Only in XLFI |
|---|---|
| STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC 100.58% | STATE STREET FINANCIAL SELECT 99.88% |
| US DOLLAR 0.02% | STATE STREET FINANCIAL SELECT OCT26 59 CALL -0.00% |
| STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC OCT26 69 CALL -0.03% | STATE STREET FINANCIAL SELECT OCT26 58 CALL -0.35% |
| STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC OCT26 68 CALL -0.12% | |
| STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC OCT26 67 CALL -0.95% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Sep 18, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XLEI | XLFI | XLEI | XLFI | XLEI | XLFI | |
| 3 months | +17.4% | +5.1% | 5.2% | 2.4% | −3.0 pts | +0.4 pts |
| 6 months | +12.6% | +12.6% | 9.4% | 5.5% | +2.7 pts | −2.2 pts |
| 1 year | +37.8% | +5.2% | 20.7% | 10.9% | −10.0 pts | +0.4 pts |
| Since launch | +41.2% | +8.7% | 23.1% | 12.4% | −10.0 pts | +1.0 pts |
| XLEI State Street(R) Energy Select Sector SPDR(R) Premium Income ETF Covered call on XLE, paying monthly | XLFI State Street(R) Financial Select Sector SPDR(R) Premium Income ETF Covered call on XLF, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | State Street | State Street |
| Strategy | covered call | covered call |
| Benchmark | Energy sector (XLE), used as the energy proxy | Financials sector (XLF) |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 15.8% | 6.7% |
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.35% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 20.7% | 10.9% |
| Price change, 1 year | +12.8% | −6.2% |
| Total return, 1 year | +37.8% | +5.2% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +47.8% | +4.8% |
| Ahead or behind | −10.0 pts | +0.4 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | not published |
| Age | 415 days | 415 days |
| Net assets | $119m | $10m |
XLEI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XLEI paid 20.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 12.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +37.8%. Energy sector (XLE), used as the energy proxy returned +47.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 10.0 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 15.8%, paid monthly.
XLFI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XLFI paid 10.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 6.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +5.2%. Financials sector (XLF) returned +4.8% over the same days, so a holder was about even. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 6.7%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, XLEI or XLFI?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XLEI paid 20.7% of its starting price in cash and XLFI paid 10.9%, 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 +37.8% and XLFI returned +5.2% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so XLEI returned more.
- Which is cheaper, XLEI or XLFI?
- XLEI charges 0.35% a year and XLFI charges 0.35%, so XLEI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, XLEI against XLFI, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/xlei-vs-xlfi Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.