ETF Versus

SPY vs XLC

State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust vs State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

SPY State Street

State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by State Street that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. equities across growth and value styles. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.13%. Launched in 1993, the fund has a 33-year track record.

AUM: $712.1B ER: 0.09% Yield: 1.13% Since: 1993-01-29
XLC State Street

State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLC) is an exchange-traded fund issued by State Street that provides exposure to us sector - communication securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.25%. Launched in 2018, the fund has a 8-year track record.

AUM: N/A ER: 0.09% Yield: 1.25% Since: 2018-06-19

Quick Verdict

Both funds have delivered similar 1-year returns (16.0% vs 15.0%), tracking closely.

Key Metrics

Metric SPY XLC
Expense Ratio 0.09% 0.09%
Dividend Yield 1.1% 1.3%
Fund Family State Street State Street
Category US Large Cap Blend US Sector - Communication

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

60 83 106 129 152 175 2021-04 2022-06 2023-10 2024-12 2026-04
SPY +61.1%
XLC +46.3%

Performance Comparison

Period SPY XLC Difference
1 Month -3.75% -5.56% +1.81%
3 Months -4.15% -4.70% +0.55%
6 Months -2.50% -4.39% +1.89%
YTD -4.15% -4.70% +0.55%
1 Year +16.00% +15.02% +0.98%
3 Years +59.35% +91.38% -32.03%
5 Years +61.15% +46.29% +14.86%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period SPY Fees XLC Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $179 $179 $0
$10,000 20 years $771 $771 $0
$10,000 30 years $2,486 $2,486 $0
$50,000 10 years $896 $896 $0
$50,000 30 years $12,428 $12,428 $0
$100,000 30 years $24,855 $24,855 $0

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric SPY XLC
Annualized Volatility 17.1% 20.7%
Max Drawdown -25.4% -47.2%
Sharpe Ratio 0.38 0.26

Dividend Comparison

Metric SPY XLC
Annual Dividend (per share) $7.38 $1.40
Dividend Yield 1.13% 1.25%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

SPY Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA Corp775.46%
Apple Inc687.37%
Microsoft Corp615.05%
Amazon.com Inc384.22%
Broadcom Inc279.66%
Alphabet Inc249.68%
Meta Platforms Inc245.99%
Tesla Inc216.23%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc157.72%

Related Comparisons