XLU — State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF

XLU Price Performance — Growth of $10,000

Value of a $10,000 investment in XLU over time, compared with SPY. Both lines are rebased to $10,000 on the first shared date. Based on total returns — prices are adjusted for dividends and splits, so this assumes distributions were reinvested. Hover or tap the chart for exact values.

XLU Drawdown

The "underwater" chart: XLU's decline from its highest prior value at each point in time. It shows how deep past losses ran and how long the fund took to recover to break-even.

Overview

The State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU) is a utility-focused fund managed by State Street Investment Management within a category containing five tracked ETFs. With assets under management totaling $23.1 billion and a current share price of $45.52, the fund demonstrates significant investor adoption relative to its peers. It holds an overall rank of #218 out of 458 tracked ETFs across all categories, earning an ETFValuer grade of C with a score of 61.6 out of 100. The fund offers a low cost structure with an expense ratio of 0.08% while providing a dividend yield of 4.27%. This combination of substantial assets and a high yield suggests the fund is a core holding for income-oriented investors seeking exposure to the utilities sector. The fund's position as the second-ranked utility ETF among the five available options highlights its prominence within this specific niche.

Recent performance data shows a mixed pattern across short-term horizons, with the fund declining 0.35% over one day and 1.47% over one month. However, a recovery is evident in the weekly timeframe, which saw a 1.34% gain, followed by a 0.82% decline over three months. The six-month trajectory indicates stronger momentum with a 7.61% return, contributing to a year-to-date gain of 6.83%. Over the longer term, the fund has delivered a 10.72% return over the past year and a substantial 50.39% return over three years. This progression illustrates a divergence where short-term volatility has been offset by significant gains over the one-year and three-year periods.

The fund carries a moderate volatility label and a beta of 0.49, indicating that its price movements are generally less sensitive to broader market fluctuations. A Sharpe ratio of 0.38 suggests that the risk-adjusted returns generated by the fund are modest relative to the volatility experienced. The maximum drawdown of -15.54% reflects the largest peak-to-trough decline recorded during the measurement period. This combination of a low beta and moderate volatility implies the fund tends to move less aggressively than the market in both up and down environments. The Sharpe ratio and drawdown figures together suggest that while the fund offers some downside protection, the compensation for the risk taken has been limited in recent periods.

AI-generated summary based on the data on this page.

XLU Top Holdings

Holdings as of 2026-03-31 per the fund's most recent SEC N-PORT-P filing. Top 10 holdings make up 57.9% of net assets — a rough gauge of concentration risk (the higher this figure, the more the fund's return depends on a handful of names). To see how XLU's holdings overlap with other ETFs you own or are considering, check the Stock Overlap tool.

Which Funds Overlap With XLU

Holding two funds that own the same companies adds cost and complexity without adding much diversification. These tracked ETFs share the most names with XLU's top 10 — VPU overlaps most, holding 9 of the same companies as XLU's top 10 (54.4% of XLU's assets).

Compares the top 10 reported holdings of each fund, so it's a floor on true overlap — two S&P 500 trackers overlap ~100% even when only 10 names are listed. Use the Stock Overlap tool to search by individual company.

Market Backdrop

10-Year Treasury Yield: 4.65% (as of 2026-07-27) — The yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds — the standard "risk-free rate" benchmark used to contextualize this fund’s Sharpe ratio and returns.

CBOE Volatility Index (VIX): 18.67 (as of 2026-07-27) — A real-time gauge of expected S&P 500 volatility over the next 30 days — useful context for this fund’s own volatility label.

Federal Funds Rate: 3.63% (as of 2026-06-01) — The Federal Reserve’s target policy rate, which anchors short-term borrowing costs across the economy.

XLU Liquidity, Domicile & Tax Treatment

Liquidity: Quoted bid/ask spread is 0.35% and average daily volume is 20.0M/day. Tighter spreads and higher volume mean lower round-trip trading costs; this is a live-market snapshot and can widen during volatile sessions. AUM of $23.1B provides ample scale, supporting tight spreads and issuer commitment to keep the fund open.

Domicile & tax treatment: XLU is a US-domiciled, SEC-registered ('40 Act) exchange-traded fund. Dividends and capital gains distributions are reported to US investors on Form 1099-DIV, and the fund is not subject to the PFIC reporting or UCITS-specific rules that apply to Irish- or Luxembourg-domiciled funds. Non-US investors should note that US-domiciled ETFs are generally subject to 30% US withholding tax on dividends (unless reduced by treaty) and to US estate tax exposure on the position — Irish-domiciled UCITS ETFs tracking the same index often avoid both, which is why non-US residents frequently prefer the UCITS equivalent where one exists. This is general information, not tax advice — consult a tax professional for your situation.

XLU Performance History

How XLU Compares to Other Utilities ETFs