Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IDEF vs XT: Holdings Overlap & Returns
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IDEF returned −5.7% to XT's +22.1%; 12% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about IDEF and XT
Net assets: $3.7bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares Defense Industrials and Tech Active ETF, and $4.1bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Future Exponential Technologies ETF.
43% of IDEF's weight is in S&P 500 companies and 58% is outside the index. Holdings as of Oct 27, 2026.
66% of XT's weight is in S&P 500 companies and 35% is outside the index. Holdings as of Oct 27, 2026.
Pair scorecard
XT costs 0.09 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 27.8 points; XT is 1.1 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | IDEF | XT |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −5.7% | +22.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 17.0%, high on Mar 2, 2026 | |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Defense | Broad innovation and megatrends |
| Its benchmark, total return, 1 year | +13.4% | |
| Against its benchmark, 1 year | ahead by 8.7 pts | |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.55% | 0.46% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $3.7bn | $4.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 12% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 30, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026 · 73 weekly returnsXT returned more: +46.4% to +14.9%. XT swung less: 15.7% to 22.4%. XT fell less at its worst: −9.2% to −17.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IDEF | XT | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +14.9% | +46.4% | XT | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +10.4% | +31.2% | XT | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +14.5% | +34.9% | XT | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 22.4% | 15.7% | XT | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.7% | 9.6% | XT | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −17.1% | −9.2% | XT | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.38 | 1.56 | XT | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.58 | 2.56 | XT | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.61 | 3.40 | XT | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 73 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IDEF and XT hold 12% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
12% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Window by window
| Total return | vs its benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | IDEF | XT | IDEF | XT |
| 3 months | −3.0% | +10.2% | not measured | +5.8 pts vs ACWI |
| 6 months | −5.8% | +14.0% | not measured | +6.6 pts vs ACWI |
| 1 year | −5.7% | +22.1% | not measured | +8.7 pts vs ACWI |
| 3 years | – | +93.2% | – | +4.3 pts vs ACWI |
| Since launchNot the same days: IDEF May 2025 · XT Mar 2015 | +22.1% | +297.8% | not measured | +71.7 pts vs ACWI |
– means no data for this window. Open this comparison in the app →
Side by side
As of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
12% of the two portfolios are the same securities at the same weight.
IDEF and XT are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- Theme. IDEF covers Defense and XT covers Broad innovation and megatrends.
- What each follows. IDEF follows Defense and XT follows Broad innovation and megatrends.
- Holdings in common. 12% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
The two-page PDF for this pair is coming. Save the comparison to follow its changes. Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.
IDEF
By weight, 42% of IDEF's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 92%. The top ten holdings are 37% of the fund across 155 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned −5.7% with distributions reinvested. It sits 17.0% below its all-time high of Mar 2, 2026.
XT
By weight, 66% of XT's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 69%. The top ten holdings are 37% of the fund across 197 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +22.1% with distributions reinvested against +13.4% for its benchmark, the MSCI All Country World Index, so a holder was ahead by 8.7 pts.
Questions people ask
- Do IDEF and XT hold the same stocks?
- By their latest filings, 12% of their books are the same securities at the same weight. Overlap is the sum of the smaller weight of every security they share.
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.
Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, IDEF against XT, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/idef-vs-xt
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IDEF against XT. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/idef-vs-xt
[IDEF against XT (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/idef-vs-xt)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.