XLB — State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF

XLB Price Performance — Growth of $10,000

Value of a $10,000 investment in XLB 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.

XLB Drawdown

The "underwater" chart: XLB'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 Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB) is a sector-specific ETF that focuses on the Materials sector, managed by State Street Investment Management. With an overall rank of #283 out of 458 tracked ETFs, it is positioned in the middle of the pack. The ETF has an expense ratio of 0.08%, indicating a relatively low cost for investors, and a dividend yield of 2.65%, offering a modest income stream. Its price of $53.54 and assets under management (AUM) of $8.26B suggest that it is well-adopted by investors, as evidenced by its substantial AUM and active trading price.

The performance of the XLB ETF shows a mix of short-term and long-term gains. Over the past year, it has seen a strong return of +20.98%, while over the past three years, it has delivered a more consistent +39.37%. The one-month return of +6.46% and the one-week return of +1.90% indicate a positive trend in the short term. However, the one-day return of +2.14% suggests that the fund can experience significant daily fluctuations. The returns over the past six months (+1.92%) and year-to-date (+17.04%) show a moderate pace of growth, with the one-month return being the highest among the given horizons.

The XLB ETF is labeled as having moderate volatility, which suggests that it experiences price fluctuations but not as extreme as those seen in more volatile funds. Its beta of 0.82 indicates that the fund is slightly less volatile than the overall market, implying that it may perform better in a bull market and worse in a bear market. The Sharpe ratio of 0.90 suggests that the fund provides a good risk-adjusted return, meaning that the returns are commensurate with the level of risk taken. The maximum drawdown of -23.17% indicates that the fund has experienced a significant decline in value, but not as severe as some other funds. Overall, these figures suggest that the XLB ETF offers a balanced approach to investing in the Materials sector, with a moderate level of risk and potential for steady growth.

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

XLB Top Holdings

Holdings as of 2026-03-31 per the fund's most recent SEC N-PORT-P filing. Top 10 holdings make up 58.9% 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 XLB's holdings overlap with other ETFs you own or are considering, check the Stock Overlap tool.

Which Funds Overlap With XLB

Holding two funds that own the same companies adds cost and complexity without adding much diversification. These tracked ETFs share the most names with XLB's top 10 — VAW overlaps most, holding 9 of the same companies as XLB's top 10 (54.5% of XLB'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: 4.69% (as of 2026-08-20) — 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): 16.01 (as of 2026-08-20) — 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 2026-07-01) — The Federal Reserve’s target policy rate, which anchors short-term borrowing costs across the economy.

XLB Liquidity, Domicile & Tax Treatment

Liquidity: Quoted bid/ask spread is 0.43% and average daily volume is 11.6M/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 $8.26B provides ample scale, supporting tight spreads and issuer commitment to keep the fund open.

Domicile & tax treatment: XLB 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.

XLB Performance History

How XLB Compares to Other Materials ETFs