State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK)
$183.47−3.02%close of Oct 16, 2026
State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by SPDR (State Street). This fund owns the technology companies in the S&P 500, such as makers of computer chips, software and devices. It charges 0.08% a year. From December 1998 to October 2026 it returned about 10.3% a year, and its worst drop was −82.0%.
Written by the Tactfolio research team. Fund facts checked October 16, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.
- Yearly fee
- 0.08%
- about $8 on $10,000
- 1-year return
- 29.6%
- to Oct 16, 2026
- Return per year
- 10.3%
- since December 1998
- Worst drop
- −82.0%
- since 1998
- Below its high
- −9.2%
- now
- Volatility
- 26.0%
- yearly swings
- Issuer
- SPDR (State Street)
- Tracks
- Technology Select Sector Index
- Started trading
- December 16, 1998
- Type
- US stocks, ETF
- Holdings
- 75 holdings as of October 15, 2026
- Expense ratio
- 0.08% a year
How has XLK done since 1998?#
From December 1998 to October 2026, XLK returned about 10.3% a year. The S&P 500 returned about 8.7% a year over the same dates. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $154,238 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.
| Period | XLK | S&P 500 (SPY) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | −0.1% | 1.5% |
| 3 months | 3.5% | 1.9% |
| 6 months | 21.0% | 9.3% |
| Year to date | 27.9% | 12.8% |
| 1 year | 29.6% | 16.8% |
| 3 years per year | 30.0% | 22.0% |
| 5 years per year | 19.6% | 12.8% |
| 10 years per year | 24.0% | 15.4% |
| Since 1998 per year | 10.3% | 8.7% |
Periods longer than a year show the return per year (CAGR). Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.
XLK returns by month and year#
XLK rose in 199 of its 335 months (59%). Its best month was October 2002, at 24.8%. Its worst was February 2001, at −24.9%.
| Year | Total | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 27.9% | −0.1 | −3.6 | −4.1 | 20.0 | 19.8 | −0.1 | −8.0 | 6.4 | 5.1 | −6.3 | ||
| 2025 | 24.6% | −0.7 | −2.3 | −8.3 | 1.7 | 10.0 | 9.9 | 3.8 | −0.1 | 7.5 | 6.7 | −4.8 | 0.8 |
| 2024 | 21.6% | 2.7 | 4.7 | 0.8 | −5.8 | 7.1 | 7.8 | −3.3 | 0.7 | 2.7 | −1.6 | 5.2 | −0.3 |
| 2023 | 56.0% | 9.3 | 0.4 | 10.9 | −0.1 | 8.9 | 6.1 | 2.6 | −1.5 | −6.5 | 0.1 | 12.9 | 4.2 |
| 2022 | −27.7% | −6.8 | −4.9 | 3.4 | −11.0 | −0.7 | −9.3 | 13.5 | −6.2 | −12.0 | 7.7 | 6.3 | −8.2 |
| 2021 | 34.7% | −0.8 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 5.2 | −0.9 | 6.9 | 3.9 | 3.6 | −5.8 | 8.2 | 4.5 | 3.3 |
| 2020 | 43.6% | 4.0 | −7.3 | −8.6 | 13.7 | 7.2 | 7.0 | 5.7 | 11.9 | −5.3 | −5.0 | 11.4 | 5.5 |
| 2019 | 49.9% | 6.9 | 6.9 | 4.8 | 6.4 | −8.7 | 8.9 | 3.5 | −1.5 | 1.6 | 3.9 | 5.4 | 4.3 |
| 2018 | −1.7% | 7.0 | −0.4 | −3.7 | 0.1 | 6.8 | −0.3 | 2.1 | 6.6 | 0.0 | −8.0 | −2.0 | −8.4 |
| 2017 | 34.3% | 3.6 | 4.5 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 4.0 | −2.8 | 4.5 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 6.5 | 1.4 | 0.6 |
| 2016 | 15.0% | −3.7 | −0.6 | 8.8 | −5.0 | 4.9 | −1.4 | 7.1 | 1.2 | 2.1 | −0.7 | 0.2 | 2.3 |
| 2015 | 5.5% | −3.5 | 8.0 | −3.4 | 2.8 | 1.9 | −4.1 | 2.9 | −5.5 | −1.4 | 10.5 | 0.7 | −2.1 |
| 2014 | 17.8% | −2.6 | 4.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 3.8 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 3.3 | −0.5 | 1.6 | 4.8 | −2.2 |
| 2013 | 26.2% | 1.9 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 2.8 | −2.9 | 3.7 | −1.0 | 2.5 | 5.0 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
| 2012 | 15.3% | 6.2 | 7.1 | 4.5 | −1.1 | −6.3 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 4.2 | 1.5 | −6.4 | 0.9 | −0.4 |
| 2011 | 2.6% | 3.2 | 2.2 | −1.5 | 2.6 | −1.0 | −2.5 | 0.4 | −5.3 | −3.1 | 10.2 | −1.5 | −0.2 |
| 2010 | 11.4% | −8.6 | 3.5 | 6.8 | 1.3 | −7.5 | −5.4 | 7.5 | −5.6 | 11.7 | 5.8 | −1.6 | 5.6 |
| 2009 | 51.3% | −4.7 | −3.8 | 11.2 | 10.4 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 8.2 | 1.6 | 4.6 | −1.2 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| 2008 | −41.5% | −12.8 | −4.7 | 1.2 | 6.3 | 6.5 | −9.4 | −2.4 | 1.8 | −12.4 | −16.1 | −8.4 | 1.6 |
| 2007 | 15.5% | 2.0 | −2.7 | 1.0 | 4.7 | 5.0 | −0.1 | −0.2 | 1.9 | 3.8 | 5.3 | −7.5 | 2.0 |
| 2006 | 12.2% | 3.4 | 0.2 | 2.3 | −1.3 | −6.5 | −0.5 | −2.6 | 7.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 2.8 | −0.5 |
| 2005 | −0.3% | −5.6 | 0.2 | −1.9 | −3.5 | 6.9 | −1.3 | 5.7 | −0.9 | 0.2 | −2.3 | 6.3 | −3.1 |
| 2004 | 5.6% | 4.3 | −2.5 | −2.7 | −3.8 | 3.9 | 2.7 | −6.1 | −4.4 | 2.9 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 2.6 |
| 2003 | 38.7% | −2.4 | 0.5 | −1.5 | 9.2 | 8.6 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 4.8 | −0.9 | 7.3 | 1.4 | 3.1 |
| 2002 | −38.2% | −1.1 | −13.0 | 4.9 | −12.1 | −4.1 | −13.4 | −9.5 | −0.8 | −16.7 | 24.8 | 15.9 | −13.2 |
| 2001 | −23.4% | 19.1 | −24.9 | −11.5 | 16.2 | −4.1 | 2.0 | −6.9 | −12.2 | −16.4 | 10.9 | 14.9 | −2.2 |
| 2000 | −41.9% | −6.1 | 10.5 | 8.4 | −9.2 | −10.4 | 10.0 | −5.3 | 10.2 | −18.0 | −5.7 | −20.5 | −9.9 |
| 1999 | 65.1% | 15.9 | −9.9 | 7.4 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 9.6 | −1.2 | 3.5 | −0.4 | 3.0 | 9.8 | 15.4 |
| 1998 | 1.8% | 1.8 |
Each month runs from the last close of the month before. The first month counts from the first close.
How risky is XLK compared with the S&P 500?#
Measured from October 2021 to October 2026, on the days both traded.
- Beta 1.38. When the S&P 500 moved 1% in a day, XLK tended to move about 1.38%.
- Correlation 0.91. XLK mostly moved with the S&P 500.
- Up and down months. In months the S&P 500 rose, XLK rose 127% as much on average. In months it fell, XLK fell 103% as much.
| Measure | XLK | S&P 500 (SPY) |
|---|---|---|
| Return per year | 19.4% | 12.8% |
| Volatility | 26.0% | 17.1% |
| Worst drop | −33.6% | −24.5% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.81 | 0.79 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.19 | 1.15 |
| Calmar ratio | 0.58 | 0.52 |
Volatility is how much the price swings in a year. The Sharpe ratio is return per unit of volatility, the Sortino ratio counts only the falls, and the Calmar ratio is the return per year over the worst drop. Higher ratios mean more return for the risk taken.
Is XLK above its 200-day average?#
XLK closed 9.7% above its 200-day average on October 16, 2026. A rule that holds XLK only above that average would hold it today.
- vs 200-day average
- +9.7%
- above it
- 50-day vs 200-day
- +13.5%
- trend rising
- vs 52-week high
- −9.2%
- high of $202.00
A moving average is the average close over the last so many days. Trend rules such as the 10-month moving average strategy hold a fund only while it is above one. You can build that rule for XLK and backtest it in a minute.
What was XLK’s worst drop?#
A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. XLK’s worst fall was −82.0%, from March 27, 2000 to October 9, 2002. It got back to that high on March 1, 2017. On October 16, 2026 it was 9.2% below its highest close.
| Drop | From the high | To the bottom | Back to the high |
|---|---|---|---|
| −82.0% | Mar 27, 2000 | Oct 9, 20022.5 years | Mar 1, 201714.4 years |
| −33.6% | Dec 27, 2021 | Oct 12, 20229 months | Jun 15, 20238 months |
| −31.1% | Feb 19, 2020 | Mar 23, 202033 days | Jun 9, 20203 months |
| −25.7% | Feb 19, 2025 | Apr 8, 20252 months | Jun 12, 20252 months |
| −23.8% | Oct 3, 2018 | Dec 24, 20183 months | Apr 3, 20193 months |
Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.
What does XLK hold?#
This fund owns the technology companies in the S&P 500, such as makers of computer chips, software and devices. A few very large companies make up a big part of it. Because it holds only one sector, it is less spread out than the whole market.
It tracks the Technology Select Sector Index. It had 75 holdings as of October 15, 2026, according to SPDR (State Street).
What is the XLK expense ratio?#
XLK charges 0.08% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.08% fee comes to about $8 a year. Of the 162 ETFs on Tactfolio, 60% charge more.
You never get a bill for it. The fund takes the fee out of its own value a little each day.
Which Tactfolio strategies hold XLK?#
2 classic strategies hold XLK at least some of the time. Each is a set of written rules you can open, test and copy.
- Faber sector rotation (the three strongest US sectors), by Mebane Faber, 2010
- Inflation Compass (Varadi’s growth and inflation model), by David Varadi, 2026
How does XLK compare with similar ETFs?#
Funds that can stand in for XLK:
- FTEC: Fidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF, 0.084% a year
- VGT: Vanguard Information Technology ETF, 0.09% a year
- IYW: iShares U.S. Technology ETF, 0.37% a year
- QQQM: Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF, 0.15% a year
See all 8 XLK alternatives, compared on the same dates as XLK.
Test XLK in your own rules#
Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the builder, add XLK, and see how a rule such as “hold it only above its 200-day average” would have done. Strategies run on daily prices and hold US stocks and ETFs only.
The details#
Prices come from Tactfolio’s stored daily prices for XLK and SPY. Each close is adjusted for splits, and dividends are reinvested on the day the fund pays them out. CAGR is the steady yearly return that turns the starting value into the ending value. Volatility is the yearly standard deviation of daily returns. Beta and correlation compare daily returns with the S&P 500 over the same dates.
Fund facts come from SPDR (State Street). We checked them on October 16, 2026. Read what a backtest simulates and how to read drawdown and CAGR for more on these measures.
Common questions#
What is the expense ratio of XLK?#
XLK charges 0.08% a year, according to SPDR (State Street) as of October 16, 2026. That is about $8 a year for every $10,000 you hold.
When did XLK start trading?#
XLK started trading on December 16, 1998. It is run by SPDR (State Street).
What does XLK track?#
XLK tracks the Technology Select Sector Index. This fund owns the technology companies in the S&P 500, such as makers of computer chips, software and devices.
How much has XLK returned per year?#
From December 1998 to October 2026, XLK returned about 10.3% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −82.0%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.
Is XLK above its 200-day moving average?#
On October 16, 2026, XLK closed 9.7% above its 200-day moving average. This page updates after each US market close.
Which strategies use XLK?#
2 of Tactfolio’s classic strategies hold XLK, including Faber sector rotation (the three strongest US sectors), Inflation Compass (Varadi’s growth and inflation model).