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 (Ticker: XLU) is a utility-focused exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the performance of the utilities sector. Issued by State Street Investment Management, XLU is one of the larger funds in its category, with an asset under management (AUM) of $23.1 billion. The ETF is positioned at the 304th rank among 458 tracked ETFs across all categories, indicating a moderate level of market presence. XLU has an expense ratio of 0.08%, which is relatively low, and it offers a dividend yield of 4.46%, providing a steady income stream for investors. The fund's price of $42.77 and substantial AUM suggest that it is well-adopted by investors seeking exposure to the utilities sector.

The performance of the State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU) has shown a mixed pattern over the past year. In the short term, the fund experienced significant volatility, with a 1-day return of -2.28% and a 1-week return of -3.48%, indicating potential for rapid price fluctuations. Over the longer term, the 1-month return of -7.40% and the 3-month return of -4.35% suggest a downturn in performance. However, the 6-month return of -6.44% and the year-to-date (YTD) return of +0.38% show a slight improvement. The 1-year return of +2.04% and the 3-year return of +47.15% indicate a strong recovery and consistent growth over the past three years, with the 3-year return being particularly notable.

The State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU) is categorized as having a moderate volatility label, which suggests that the fund experiences fluctuations in price but is generally less volatile than the broader market. With a beta of 0.49, XLU is less sensitive to market movements compared to the overall market, implying that it may provide some protection during market downturns. However, the negative Sharpe ratio of -0.20 indicates that the fund's returns have not compensated for the level of risk taken, suggesting that the returns have been lower than the risk-adjusted returns of a risk-free asset. The maximum drawdown of -13.15% highlights the fund's potential for significant price declines during market downturns, which could be concerning for investors who are risk-averse. Overall, the combination of moderate volatility, a beta below 1, and a negative Sharpe ratio suggests that XLU may be suitable for investors who are looking for a less volatile utility sector exposure but are willing to accept lower risk-adjusted returns.

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: 4.69% (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.

XLU Liquidity, Domicile & Tax Treatment

Liquidity: Quoted bid/ask spread is — 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