ETF Versus

XLC vs XLF

State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF vs State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

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
XLF SPDR

State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - financials securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.56%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: $50.3B ER: 0.08% Yield: 1.56% Since: Dec 16, 1998

Quick Verdict

Over the past year, XLC has significantly outperformed with a 25.9% return vs 10.4%.

Key Metrics

Metric XLC XLF
Expense Ratio 0.08% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 1.2% 1.6%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Sector - Communication US Sector - Financials

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
XLC +48.7%
XLF +43.5%

Performance Comparison

Period XLC XLF Difference
1 Month -2.66% +2.07% -4.73%
3 Months -3.11% -8.36% +5.25%
6 Months +0.04% -3.78% +3.82%
YTD -2.57% -7.76% +5.19%
1 Year +25.85% +10.37% +15.48%
3 Years +94.19% +56.68% +37.51%
5 Years +48.66% +43.54% +5.12%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period XLC Fees XLF Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $159 $159 $0
$10,000 20 years $686 $686 $0
$10,000 30 years $2,212 $2,212 $0
$50,000 10 years $797 $797 $0
$50,000 30 years $11,061 $11,061 $0
$100,000 30 years $22,123 $22,123 $0

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric XLC XLF
Annualized Volatility 20.7% 18.7%
Max Drawdown -47.2% -26.9%
Sharpe Ratio 0.27 0.24

Dividend Comparison

Metric XLC XLF
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.40 $0.79
Dividend Yield 1.23% 1.56%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

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

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%

XLF Top Holdings

NameWeight
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B12.15%
JPMorgan Chase & Co.JPM11.42%
Visa Inc.V7.08%
Mastercard IncorporatedMA5.60%
Bank of America CorporationBAC4.77%
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.GS3.70%
Wells Fargo & CompanyWFC3.63%
Citigroup Inc.C2.98%
Morgan StanleyMS2.93%
American Express CompanyAXP2.32%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose XLC 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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