ETF Versus

BIL vs XLU

State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF vs State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

BIL SPDR

State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (BIL) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to short-duration U.S. Treasury bonds with low interest rate risk. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.14%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.95%. Launched in 2007, the fund has a 19-year track record.

AUM: $51.5B ER: 0.14% Yield: 3.95% Since: May 25, 2007
XLU SPDR

State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - utilities securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.51%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: $25.1B ER: 0.08% Yield: 2.51% Since: Dec 16, 1998

Quick Verdict

XLU has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.08% vs 0.14%), saving about $119 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, XLU has significantly outperformed with a 25.8% return vs -0.0%. Income investors may prefer BIL for its higher yield (4.0% vs 2.5%).

Key Metrics

Metric BIL XLU
Expense Ratio 0.14% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 4.0% 2.5%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Short-Term Treasury US Sector - Utilities

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

85 98 111 124 137 150 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
BIL +0.0%
XLU +46.2%

Performance Comparison

Period BIL XLU Difference
1 Month +0.03% +2.70% -2.67%
3 Months +0.01% +11.36% -11.35%
6 Months -0.10% +4.33% -4.43%
YTD +0.08% +9.81% -9.73%
1 Year -0.03% +25.77% -25.80%
3 Years -0.08% +36.00% -36.08%
5 Years +0.00% +46.16% -46.16%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period BIL Fees XLU Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $278 $159 $119
$10,000 20 years $1,194 $686 $508
$10,000 30 years $3,841 $2,212 $1,628
$50,000 10 years $1,391 $797 $594
$50,000 30 years $19,203 $11,061 $8,141
$100,000 30 years $38,406 $22,123 $16,283

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric BIL XLU
Annualized Volatility 1.1% 17.2%
Max Drawdown -0.7% -28.1%
Sharpe Ratio -4.13 0.27

Dividend Comparison

Metric BIL XLU
Annual Dividend (per share) $3.62 $1.19
Dividend Yield 3.95% 2.51%
Distribution Frequency Monthly Quarterly

Top Holdings

XLU Top Holdings

NameWeight
NextEra Energy, Inc.NEE13.52%
The Southern CompanySO7.38%
Duke Energy CorporationDUK7.06%
Constellation Energy CorporationCEG6.11%
American Electric Power Company, Inc.AEP5.02%
SempraSRE4.45%
Dominion Energy, Inc.D3.72%
Entergy CorporationETR3.57%
Exelon CorporationEXC3.47%
Vistra Corp.VST3.42%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose XLU if...

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

Choose XLU if...

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

Choose BIL if...

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

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