Data as of .
FDN vs XAR: which is really different?
FDN holds 82.4% of its weight in S&P 500 companies and XAR 35.0%.
ETFIQ Off-Index Score: XAR scores higher
How much of it is not the index it is sold as an alternative to?
A percentile among the 371 thematic ETFs with a holdings filing. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All thematic ETFs ranked by it · How it is computed
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, FDN and XAR hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in FDN | Only in XAR |
|---|---|
| Meta Platforms, Inc. (Class A) 10.43% | RTX CORP 3.34% |
| Amazon.com, Inc. 9.78% | VSE CORP 3.33% |
| Cisco Systems, Inc. 7.25% | ATI INC 3.25% |
| Salesforce, Inc. 5.91% | ARCHER AVIATION INC A 3.23% |
| Arista Networks, Inc. 5.18% | AXON ENTERPRISE INC 3.20% |
| Alphabet Inc. (Class A) 4.79% | GENERAL DYNAMICS CORP 3.11% |
| Booking Holdings Inc. 4.51% | GENERAL ELECTRIC 3.04% |
| Oracle Corporation 4.44% | LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 3.02% |
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 10, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | vs the S&P 500 | vs the Nasdaq-100 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FDN | XAR | FDN | XAR | FDN | XAR | |
| 3 months | +9.3% | −12.1% | +6.0 pts | −15.4 pts | +10.1 pts | −11.3 pts |
| 6 months | +20.3% | −7.2% | +4.3 pts | −23.2 pts | −0.4 pts | −27.9 pts |
| 1 year | +1.9% | +11.8% | −15.6 pts | −5.7 pts | −21.0 pts | −11.2 pts |
| 3 years | +69.5% | +114.1% | −8.4 pts | +36.2 pts | −25.6 pts | +19.0 pts |
| Since launch | +1031.5% | +1042.3% | +227.1 pts | +288.5 pts | −642.4 pts | −366.6 pts |
| FDN First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund Holds 42 stocks in internet and e-commerce, 82% of its weight in S&P 500 companies | XAR State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Aerospace & Defense ETF Holds 49 stocks in defense, 35% of its weight in S&P 500 companies | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | First Trust | State Street |
| Theme | Internet and e-commerce | Defense |
| In the S&P 500 | 82.4% | 35.0% |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 85.5% | 97.9% |
| In the Nasdaq-100 | 57.1% | 3.2% |
| Holdings | 42 | 49 |
| Top ten, share of the fund | 60.5% | 31.4% |
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.35% |
| Fee for the differing part | 0.57% | 0.36% |
| Total return, 1 year | +1.9% | +11.8% |
| vs the S&P 500 | −15.6 pts | −5.7 pts |
| vs the Nasdaq-100 | −21.0 pts | −11.2 pts |
| Below its high | −2.1% | −17.1% |
FDN in plain words
By weight, 82% of FDN's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 86%. The top ten holdings are 60% of the fund across 42 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 10, 2026. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 the fund returned +1.9% with distributions reinvested against +17.5% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 15.6 pts.
XAR in plain words
By weight, 35% of XAR's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 98%. The top ten holdings are 31% of the fund across 49 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 10, 2026. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 the fund returned +11.8% with distributions reinvested against +17.5% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 5.7 pts. It sits 17.1% below its all-time high of Aug 14, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which is more different from the S&P 500, FDN or XAR?
- FDN has 82% of its weight in S&P 500 names and XAR has 35%, so XAR differs more from the index.
- Which is cheaper, FDN or XAR?
- FDN charges 0.49% a year and XAR charges 0.35%, so XAR 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, FDN against XAR, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/fdn-vs-xar Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.