FTEK vs. XLK

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Fuel Tech, Inc. (FTEK) and State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK).

XLK is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the S&P Technology Select Sector Daily Capped 35/20 Index. It was launched on Dec 16, 1998.

Performance

FTEK vs. XLK - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Fuel Tech, Inc. (FTEK) and State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

FTEK vs. XLK - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
FTEK Fuel Tech, Inc.	-19.23%	48.57%	0.00%	-17.65%	-8.93%	-63.92%	308.42%	-20.17%	6.25%	-2.61%
XLK State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF	-6.18%	24.61%	21.63%	56.02%	-27.73%	34.74%	43.62%	49.86%	-1.68%	34.26%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, FTEK achieves a -19.23% return, which is significantly lower than XLK's -6.18% return. Over the past 10 years, FTEK has underperformed XLK with an annualized return of -3.12%, while XLK has yielded a comparatively higher 21.00% annualized return.

FTEK

• 1D: 3.28%
• 1M: -15.44%
• YTD: -19.23%
• 6M: -56.40%
• 1Y: 25.37%
• 3Y*: -0.52%
• 5Y*: -15.30%
• 10Y*: -3.12%

XLK

• 1D: 1.51%
• 1M: -3.20%
• YTD: -6.18%
• 6M: -4.94%
• 1Y: 30.47%
• 3Y*: 22.19%
• 5Y*: 15.65%
• 10Y*: 21.00%

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

Return for Risk

FTEK vs. XLK — Risk / Return Rank

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

FTEK

FTEK Risk / Return Rank: 52
FTEK Sharpe Ratio Rank: 52
FTEK Sortino Ratio Rank: 59
FTEK Omega Ratio Rank: 52
FTEK Calmar Ratio Rank: 48
FTEK Martin Ratio Rank: 47

XLK

XLK Risk / Return Rank: 65
XLK Sharpe Ratio Rank: 62
XLK Sortino Ratio Rank: 65
XLK Omega Ratio Rank: 63
XLK Calmar Ratio Rank: 73
XLK Martin Ratio Rank: 62

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.

FTEK vs. XLK - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Fuel Tech, Inc. (FTEK) and State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK). 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.

	FTEK	XLK	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.32	1.13	-0.81
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.14	1.71	-0.57
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.13	1.24	-0.11
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.30	1.97	-1.68
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	0.53	6.31	-5.78
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

FTEK vs. XLK - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current FTEK Sharpe Ratio is 0.32, which is lower than the XLK Sharpe Ratio of 1.13. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of FTEK and XLK, 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

	FTEK	XLK	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.32	1.13	-0.81
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.25	0.64	-0.89
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	-0.03	0.87	-0.90
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	-0.06	0.36	-0.43

Correlation

The correlation between FTEK and XLK is 0.21, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

FTEK vs. XLK - Dividend Comparison

FTEK has not paid dividends to shareholders, while XLK's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.57%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
FTEK Fuel Tech, Inc.	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
XLK State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF	0.57%	0.54%	0.66%	0.76%	1.04%	0.65%	0.92%	1.16%	1.60%	1.37%	1.74%	1.79%

Drawdowns

FTEK vs. XLK - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum FTEK drawdown since its inception was -98.97%, which is greater than XLK's maximum drawdown of -82.05%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for FTEK and XLK.

Drawdown Indicators

	FTEK	XLK	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-98.97%	-82.05%	-16.92%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-67.22%	-15.92%	-51.30%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-68.88%	-33.56%	-35.32%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-86.07%	-33.56%	-52.51%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-96.68%	-11.04%	-85.64%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-78.38%	-35.17%	-43.21%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	37.76%	4.98%	+32.78%

Volatility

FTEK vs. XLK - Volatility Comparison

Fuel Tech, Inc. (FTEK) has a higher volatility of 14.26% compared to State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) at 8.12%. This indicates that FTEK's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than XLK based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	FTEK	XLK	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	14.26%	8.12%	+6.14%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	45.07%	16.49%	+28.58%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	79.33%	27.05%	+52.28%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	61.12%	24.72%	+36.40%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	94.46%	24.33%	+70.13%