XLC — State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF

XLC Price Performance — Growth of $10,000

Value of a $10,000 investment in XLC 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.

XLC Drawdown

The "underwater" chart: XLC'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 Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF (Ticker: XLC) is a sector-specific ETF that focuses on the Communication Services industry. Issued by State Street Investment Management, it is one of the larger funds in its category, with an asset under management (AUM) of $21.7 billion. The ETF is ranked #305 out of 458 tracked ETFs across all categories, indicating a moderate position in terms of overall size and popularity. The expense ratio of 0.08% is relatively low, making it cost-effective for investors. The dividend yield of 1.32% provides a modest income stream, though it is not particularly high. The price of $111.40 suggests that the ETF is priced at a level that reflects its size and popularity among investors.

Over the past year, the ETF has shown a return of +2.69%, which is relatively stable compared to its 3-year return of +74.11%. The 1-month return of +5.71% indicates a positive trend, but the 1-week return of -1.37% suggests some short-term volatility. The 1-day return of +0.65% further supports the idea of short-term fluctuations. The 6-month return of -4.07% and the year-to-date (YTD) return of -4.15% show that the ETF has experienced a downturn over the past half-year and year, respectively. This pattern suggests that the ETF has been more volatile in the short term but has shown strong growth over the long term.

The ETF is labeled as having a moderate volatility, which implies that it is less volatile than the broader market but still carries some risk. With a beta of 0.84, it is slightly less sensitive to market movements compared to the overall market. The Sharpe ratio of -0.15 suggests that the ETF has not been able to generate a satisfactory risk-adjusted return, as the negative value indicates that the returns have not compensated for the risk taken. The maximum drawdown of -17.97% indicates that the ETF has experienced a significant decline in value, which could be concerning for investors who are risk-averse. Overall, the combination of moderate volatility, a slightly lower beta, and a negative Sharpe ratio suggests that the ETF may be suitable for investors who are looking for a less volatile investment with some growth potential, but it also carries the risk of significant drawdowns.

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

XLC Top Holdings

Holdings as of 2026-03-31 per the fund's most recent SEC N-PORT-P filing. Top 10 holdings make up 71.7% 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 XLC's holdings overlap with other ETFs you own or are considering, check the Stock Overlap tool.

Which Funds Overlap With XLC

Holding two funds that own the same companies adds cost and complexity without adding much diversification. These tracked ETFs share the most names with XLC's top 10 — VOX overlaps most, holding 8 of the same companies as XLC's top 10 (66.9% of XLC'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.

XLC Liquidity, Domicile & Tax Treatment

Liquidity: Quoted bid/ask spread is — and average daily volume is 6.4M/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 $21.7B provides ample scale, supporting tight spreads and issuer commitment to keep the fund open.

Domicile & tax treatment: XLC 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.

XLC Performance History

How XLC Compares to Other Communication Services ETFs