ETF Versus

SPY vs XLF

State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust vs State Street Financial 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
XLF State Street

State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) is an exchange-traded fund issued by State Street that provides exposure to us sector - financials securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.60%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: N/A ER: 0.09% Yield: 1.60% Since: 1998-12-22

Quick Verdict

Over the past year, SPY has significantly outperformed with a 16.0% return vs -1.3%.

Key Metrics

Metric SPY XLF
Expense Ratio 0.09% 0.09%
Dividend Yield 1.1% 1.6%
Fund Family State Street State Street
Category US Large Cap Blend US Sector - Financials

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

85 103 121 139 157 175 2021-04 2022-06 2023-10 2024-12 2026-04
SPY +61.1%
XLF +42.5%

Performance Comparison

Period SPY XLF Difference
1 Month -3.75% -3.34% -0.41%
3 Months -4.15% -9.89% +5.74%
6 Months -2.50% -7.82% +5.32%
YTD -4.15% -9.89% +5.74%
1 Year +16.00% -1.32% +17.32%
3 Years +59.35% +53.68% +5.67%
5 Years +61.15% +42.49% +18.66%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period SPY Fees XLF 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 XLF
Annualized Volatility 17.1% 18.7%
Max Drawdown -25.4% -26.9%
Sharpe Ratio 0.38 0.23

Dividend Comparison

Metric SPY XLF
Annual Dividend (per share) $7.38 $0.79
Dividend Yield 1.13% 1.60%
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%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose SPY if...

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

Choose XLF if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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