C vs. XLF

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Citigroup Inc. (C) and Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF).

XLF is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the Financial Select Sector Index. It was launched on Dec 16, 1998.

Performance

C vs. XLF - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Citigroup Inc. (C) and Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

C vs. XLF - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
C Citigroup Inc.	-2.30%	70.38%	41.93%	18.98%	-22.09%	0.93%	-19.70%	57.82%	-28.49%	27.03%
XLF Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund	-9.40%	14.90%	30.56%	12.03%	-10.59%	34.80%	-1.74%	31.88%	-13.06%	22.00%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, C achieves a -2.30% return, which is significantly higher than XLF's -9.40% return. Over the past 10 years, C has outperformed XLF with an annualized return of 13.63%, while XLF has yielded a comparatively lower 12.44% annualized return.

C

• 1D: 5.72%
• 1M: 2.92%
• YTD: -2.30%
• 6M: 12.99%
• 1Y: 63.91%
• 3Y*: 38.99%
• 5Y*: 13.06%
• 10Y*: 13.63%

XLF

• 1D: 2.09%
• 1M: -3.51%
• YTD: -9.40%
• 6M: -7.56%
• 1Y: 0.65%
• 3Y*: 17.25%
• 5Y*: 9.34%
• 10Y*: 12.44%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

C vs. XLF — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

C

C Risk / Return Rank: 88
C Sharpe Ratio Rank: 90
C Sortino Ratio Rank: 85
C Omega Ratio Rank: 87
C Calmar Ratio Rank: 89
C Martin Ratio Rank: 91

XLF

XLF Risk / Return Rank: 14
XLF Sharpe Ratio Rank: 13
XLF Sortino Ratio Rank: 13
XLF Omega Ratio Rank: 13
XLF Calmar Ratio Rank: 15
XLF Martin Ratio Rank: 15

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

C vs. XLF - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Citigroup Inc. (C) and Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	C	XLF	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.94	0.03	+1.91
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.36	0.18	+2.19
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.35	1.02	+0.33
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	3.45	0.13	+3.32
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	11.28	0.38	+10.90
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

C vs. XLF - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current C Sharpe Ratio is 1.94, which is higher than the XLF Sharpe Ratio of 0.03. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of C and XLF, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	C	XLF	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.94	0.03	+1.91
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.45	0.50	-0.05
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.41	0.56	-0.15
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.15	0.20	-0.05

Correlation

The correlation between C and XLF is 0.82, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

C vs. XLF - Dividend Comparison

C's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.08%, more than XLF's 1.60% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
C Citigroup Inc.	2.08%	1.99%	3.10%	4.04%	4.51%	3.38%	3.31%	2.40%	2.96%	1.29%	0.71%	0.31%
XLF Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund	1.60%	1.31%	1.42%	1.71%	2.04%	1.63%	2.03%	1.87%	2.08%	1.48%	21.10%	1.95%

Drawdowns

C vs. XLF - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum C drawdown since its inception was -98.00%, which is greater than XLF's maximum drawdown of -82.69%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for C and XLF.

Drawdown Indicators

	C	XLF	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-98.00%	-82.69%	-15.31%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-18.99%	-14.79%	-4.20%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-47.80%	-25.81%	-21.99%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-56.51%	-42.86%	-13.65%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-69.87%	-12.01%	-57.86%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-43.42%	-20.10%	-23.32%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	5.80%	4.90%	+0.90%

Volatility

C vs. XLF - Volatility Comparison

Citigroup Inc. (C) has a higher volatility of 9.95% compared to Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) at 4.75%. This indicates that C's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than XLF based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	C	XLF	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	9.95%	4.75%	+5.20%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	22.66%	11.45%	+11.21%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	33.08%	19.29%	+13.79%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	28.91%	18.69%	+10.22%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	33.25%	22.19%	+11.06%