ETF Versus

SOXX vs XLK

iShares Semiconductor ETF vs State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to thematic - semiconductors securities. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.34%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.44%. Launched in 2001, the fund has a 25-year track record.

AUM: $23.2B ER: 0.34% Yield: 0.44% Since: Jul 10, 2001
XLK

State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to us sector - technology securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.54%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: $90.3B ER: 0.08% Yield: 0.54% Since: Dec 16, 1998

Quick Verdict

XLK is significantly cheaper at 0.08% vs 0.34% expense ratio, saving you approximately $511 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, SOXX has significantly outperformed with a 124.6% return vs 46.2%.

Key Metrics

Metric SOXX XLK
Expense Ratio 0.34% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 0.4% 0.5%
Fund Family N/A N/A
Category Thematic - Semiconductors US Sector - Technology

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

65 104 143 182 221 260 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2024-12 2026-04
SOXX +157.0%
XLK +101.4%

Performance Comparison

Period SOXX XLK Difference
1 Month +10.68% +1.17% +9.51%
3 Months +14.61% -3.22% +17.83%
6 Months +32.91% -0.36% +33.27%
YTD +20.70% -1.55% +22.25%
1 Year +124.56% +46.19% +78.37%
3 Years +165.31% +92.52% +72.79%
5 Years +156.99% +101.39% +55.60%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period SOXX Fees XLK Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $670 $159 $511
$10,000 20 years $2,849 $686 $2,163
$10,000 30 years $9,082 $2,212 $6,870
$50,000 10 years $3,351 $797 $2,554
$50,000 30 years $45,411 $11,061 $34,350
$100,000 30 years $90,823 $22,123 $68,700

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric SOXX XLK
Annualized Volatility 35.6% 24.7%
Max Drawdown -46.2% -34.0%
Sharpe Ratio 0.58 0.51

Dividend Comparison

Metric SOXX XLK
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.67 $0.77
Dividend Yield 0.44% 0.54%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

5 of top 10 holdings overlap (50% overlap in top holdings)

SOXX Top Holdings

NameWeight
Broadcom Inc.AVGO8.32%
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA7.79%
Micron Technology, Inc.MU7.48%
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.AMD6.55%
Applied Materials, Inc.AMAT5.86%
Marvell Technology, Inc.MRVL5.31%
Intel CorporationINTC4.90%
Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.MPWR4.36%
Teradyne, Inc.TER4.24%
KLA CorporationKLAC4.16%

XLK Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA15.18%
Apple Inc.AAPL13.04%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT9.54%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO5.71%
Micron Technology, Inc.MU3.83%
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.AMD3.16%
Cisco Systems, Inc.CSCO2.76%
Palantir Technologies Inc.PLTR2.69%
Lam Research CorporationLRCX2.57%
Applied Materials, Inc.AMAT2.56%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose XLK if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose SOXX if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

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