ETF Versus

MDY vs XLC

State Street SPDR S&P MIDCAP 400 ETF Trust vs State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

MDY SPDR

State Street SPDR S&P MIDCAP 400 ETF Trust (MDY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to mid-cap U.S. companies balancing growth potential and stability. It charges a moderate expense ratio of 0.24%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.11%. Launched in 1995, the fund has a 31-year track record.

AUM: $25.2B ER: 0.24% Yield: 1.11% Since: May 4, 1995
XLC SPDR

State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLC) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - communication securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.23%. Launched in 2018, the fund has a 8-year track record.

AUM: $24.6B ER: 0.08% Yield: 1.23% Since: Jun 18, 2018

Quick Verdict

XLC is significantly cheaper at 0.08% vs 0.24% expense ratio, saving you approximately $316 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, MDY has significantly outperformed with a 31.1% return vs 25.9%.

Key Metrics

Metric MDY XLC
Expense Ratio 0.24% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 1.1% 1.2%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Mid Cap US Sector - Communication

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

55 76 97 118 139 160 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
MDY +31.8%
XLC +48.7%

Performance Comparison

Period MDY XLC Difference
1 Month +3.01% -2.66% +5.67%
3 Months +1.74% -3.11% +4.85%
6 Months +9.24% +0.04% +9.20%
YTD +5.23% -2.57% +7.80%
1 Year +31.12% +25.85% +5.27%
3 Years +40.99% +94.19% -53.20%
5 Years +31.81% +48.66% -16.85%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period MDY Fees XLC Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $475 $159 $316
$10,000 20 years $2,028 $686 $1,343
$10,000 30 years $6,497 $2,212 $4,284
$50,000 10 years $2,375 $797 $1,578
$50,000 30 years $32,483 $11,061 $21,422
$100,000 30 years $64,967 $22,123 $42,844

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric MDY XLC
Annualized Volatility 19.8% 20.7%
Max Drawdown -24.5% -47.2%
Sharpe Ratio 0.15 0.27

Dividend Comparison

Metric MDY XLC
Annual Dividend (per share) $7.12 $1.40
Dividend Yield 1.11% 1.23%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

MDY Top Holdings

NameWeight
TechnipFMC plcFTI0.86%
U.S. DollarCASH_USD0.85%
Casey's General Stores, Inc.CASY0.84%
Flex Ltd.FLEX0.80%
Curtiss-Wright CorporationCW0.80%
United Therapeutics CorporationUTHR0.75%
XPO, Inc.XPO0.74%
Woodward, Inc.WWD0.70%
FabrinetFN0.65%
Royal Gold, Inc.RGLD0.65%

XLC Top Holdings

NameWeight
Meta Platforms, Inc.META13.83%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG6.65%
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.LYV4.71%
Netflix, Inc.NFLX4.57%
The Walt Disney CompanyDIS4.50%
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.TTWO4.48%
EchoStar CorporationSATS4.47%
Omnicom Group Inc.OMC4.37%
Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.WBD4.35%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose XLC if...

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

Choose MDY if...

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

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