Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLU)

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The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.

Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLU) has returned 8.25% so far this year and 19.71% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, XLU has returned 9.74% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 12.16% annually.

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Dec 22, 1998, XLU's average daily return is +0.04%, while the average monthly return is +0.73%. At this rate, your investment would double in approximately 7.9 years.

Historically, 63% of months were positive and 37% were negative. The best month was Sep 2000 with a return of +13.2%, while the worst month was Jul 2002 at -14.7%. The longest winning streak lasted 12 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 6 months.

On a daily basis, XLU closed higher 53% of trading days. The best single day was Mar 17, 2020 with a return of +12.8%, while the worst single day was Mar 16, 2020 at -11.4%.

Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund has an annualized alpha of 4.66%, beta of 0.61, and R² of 0.37 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since December 23, 1998.

• This ETF participates in less of S&P 500 Index's moves in both directions, but captures a larger share of gains (55.33%) than losses (42.96%) — typical of diversified or defensive assets.
• Beta of 0.61 may look defensive, but with R² of 0.37 this ETF is largely uncorrelated with S&P 500 Index — low beta reflects independence, not downside protection. See the Volatility section for a true picture of this ETF's risk.
• R² of 0.37 means the benchmark explains less than half of this ETF's behavior — treat beta with caution or consider switching to a more representative benchmark.

XLU has an expense ratio of 0.13%, which is considered low.

XLU ranks 66 for risk / return — better than 66% of ETFs on our site. You're getting solid returns for the risk taken. A good sign, especially for investors who want growth without excessive volatility.

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLU) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (S&P 500 Index).

Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund provided a 2.59% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $1.19 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 15 consecutive years.

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.

The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.

The maximum drawdown for the Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund was 51.98%, occurring on Oct 9, 2002. Recovery took 587 trading sessions.

The current Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund drawdown is 3.18%.

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.