XLE vs. SPY

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY).

XLE and SPY are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. XLE is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the Energy Select Sector Index. It was launched on Dec 16, 1998. SPY is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the S&P 500 Index. It was launched on Jan 22, 1993. Both XLE and SPY 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

XLE vs. SPY - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

XLE vs. SPY - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
XLE State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF	32.76%	7.88%	5.56%	-0.63%	64.32%	53.28%	-32.67%	11.74%	-18.22%	-0.89%
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF	-3.65%	17.72%	24.89%	26.18%	-18.18%	28.73%	18.33%	31.22%	-4.57%	21.71%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, XLE achieves a 32.76% return, which is significantly higher than SPY's -3.65% return. Over the past 10 years, XLE has underperformed SPY with an annualized return of 11.23%, while SPY has yielded a comparatively higher 14.06% annualized return.

XLE

• 1D: -3.74%
• 1M: 4.06%
• YTD: 32.76%
• 6M: 34.01%
• 1Y: 29.50%
• 3Y*: 16.22%
• 5Y*: 23.05%
• 10Y*: 11.23%

SPY

• 1D: 0.75%
• 1M: -4.28%
• YTD: -3.65%
• 6M: -1.42%
• 1Y: 18.14%
• 3Y*: 18.48%
• 5Y*: 11.86%
• 10Y*: 14.06%

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

XLE vs. SPY - Expense Ratio Comparison

XLE has a 0.08% expense ratio, which is lower than SPY's 0.09% expense ratio. Despite the difference, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

SPY

State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF

XLE

State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF

Return for Risk

XLE vs. SPY — Risk / Return Rank

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

XLE

XLE Risk / Return Rank: 58
XLE Sharpe Ratio Rank: 65
XLE Sortino Ratio Rank: 59
XLE Omega Ratio Rank: 61
XLE Calmar Ratio Rank: 61
XLE Martin Ratio Rank: 43

SPY

SPY Risk / Return Rank: 59
SPY Sharpe Ratio Rank: 51
SPY Sortino Ratio Rank: 56
SPY Omega Ratio Rank: 60
SPY Calmar Ratio Rank: 58
SPY Martin Ratio Rank: 69

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.

XLE vs. SPY - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY). 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.

	XLE	SPY	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.18	0.96	+0.22
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.56	1.49	+0.07
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.23	1.23	0.00
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.61	1.53	+0.08
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	4.23	7.27	-3.03
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

XLE vs. SPY - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current XLE Sharpe Ratio is 1.18, which is comparable to the SPY Sharpe Ratio of 0.96. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of XLE and SPY, 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

	XLE	SPY	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.18	0.96	+0.22
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.89	0.70	+0.19
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.38	0.79	-0.41
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.31	0.56	-0.25

Correlation

The correlation between XLE and SPY is 0.55, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

XLE vs. SPY - Dividend Comparison

XLE's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.53%, more than SPY's 1.13% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
XLE State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF	2.53%	3.28%	3.36%	3.55%	3.68%	4.21%	5.62%	6.72%	3.54%	3.03%	2.26%	3.39%
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF	1.13%	1.07%	1.21%	1.40%	1.65%	1.20%	1.52%	1.75%	2.04%	1.80%	2.03%	2.06%

Drawdowns

XLE vs. SPY - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum XLE drawdown since its inception was -71.26%, which is greater than SPY's maximum drawdown of -55.19%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for XLE and SPY.

Drawdown Indicators

	XLE	SPY	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-71.26%	-55.19%	-16.07%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-18.79%	-12.05%	-6.74%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-26.04%	-24.50%	-1.54%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-66.81%	-33.72%	-33.09%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-5.74%	-5.53%	-0.21%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-18.05%	-9.09%	-8.96%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	7.15%	2.54%	+4.61%

Volatility

XLE vs. SPY - Volatility Comparison

State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) has a higher volatility of 6.45% compared to State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) at 5.35%. This indicates that XLE's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SPY based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	XLE	SPY	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	6.45%	5.35%	+1.10%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	14.46%	9.50%	+4.96%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	25.21%	19.06%	+6.15%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	26.09%	17.06%	+9.03%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	29.50%	17.92%	+11.58%