IBB vs. XLV

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB) and State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV).

IBB and XLV are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. IBB is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index. It was launched on Feb 5, 2001. XLV is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the Health Care Select Sector Index. It was launched on Dec 16, 1998. Both IBB and XLV are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

IBB vs. XLV - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB) and State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

IBB vs. XLV - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
IBB iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF	0.88%	27.98%	-2.41%	3.76%	-13.69%	0.95%	26.01%	25.42%	-9.53%	21.08%
XLV State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF	-4.18%	14.50%	2.47%	2.07%	-2.08%	26.04%	13.30%	20.45%	6.28%	21.77%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, IBB achieves a 0.88% return, which is significantly higher than XLV's -4.18% return. Over the past 10 years, IBB has underperformed XLV with an annualized return of 6.92%, while XLV has yielded a comparatively higher 9.80% annualized return.

IBB

• 1D: 0.76%
• 1M: -2.11%
• YTD: 0.88%
• 6M: 14.77%
• 1Y: 37.04%
• 3Y*: 9.92%
• 5Y*: 2.62%
• 10Y*: 6.92%

XLV

• 1D: 0.76%
• 1M: -6.43%
• YTD: -4.18%
• 6M: 3.83%
• 1Y: 4.90%
• 3Y*: 6.25%
• 5Y*: 6.59%
• 10Y*: 9.80%

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

IBB vs. XLV - Expense Ratio Comparison

IBB has a 0.47% expense ratio, which is higher than XLV's 0.08% expense ratio.

IBB

iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF

XLV

State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF

Return for Risk

IBB vs. XLV — Risk / Return Rank

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

IBB

IBB Risk / Return Rank: 81
IBB Sharpe Ratio Rank: 80
IBB Sortino Ratio Rank: 81
IBB Omega Ratio Rank: 73
IBB Calmar Ratio Rank: 88
IBB Martin Ratio Rank: 85

XLV

XLV Risk / Return Rank: 18
XLV Sharpe Ratio Rank: 19
XLV Sortino Ratio Rank: 18
XLV Omega Ratio Rank: 18
XLV Calmar Ratio Rank: 17
XLV Martin Ratio Rank: 16

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.

IBB vs. XLV - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB) and State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV). 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.

	IBB	XLV	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.56	0.28	+1.28
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.16	0.51	+1.65
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.28	1.06	+0.21
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.86	0.28	+2.58
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	10.20	0.58	+9.61
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

IBB vs. XLV - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current IBB Sharpe Ratio is 1.56, which is higher than the XLV Sharpe Ratio of 0.28. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of IBB and XLV, 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

	IBB	XLV	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.56	0.28	+1.28
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.12	0.45	-0.33
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.30	0.59	-0.30
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.26	0.46	-0.20

Correlation

The correlation between IBB and XLV is 0.73, 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

IBB vs. XLV - Dividend Comparison

IBB's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.23%, less than XLV's 1.70% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
IBB iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF	0.23%	0.23%	0.29%	0.26%	0.31%	0.21%	0.21%	0.33%	0.20%	0.30%	0.19%	0.03%
XLV State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF	1.70%	1.60%	1.67%	1.59%	1.47%	1.33%	1.49%	2.17%	1.57%	1.47%	1.60%	1.43%

Drawdowns

IBB vs. XLV - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum IBB drawdown since its inception was -62.85%, which is greater than XLV's maximum drawdown of -39.17%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for IBB and XLV.

Drawdown Indicators

	IBB	XLV	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-62.85%	-39.17%	-23.68%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-11.65%	-10.76%	-0.89%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-39.82%	-17.11%	-22.71%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-39.82%	-28.40%	-11.42%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-4.16%	-7.41%	+3.25%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-21.30%	-7.12%	-14.18%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.27%	5.11%	-1.84%

Volatility

IBB vs. XLV - Volatility Comparison

iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB) has a higher volatility of 8.38% compared to State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) at 4.79%. This indicates that IBB's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than XLV based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	IBB	XLV	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	8.38%	4.79%	+3.59%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	14.50%	10.29%	+4.21%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	24.01%	17.73%	+6.28%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	21.87%	14.56%	+7.31%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	23.37%	16.53%	+6.84%