State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP)
$87.62+1.08%close of Oct 16, 2026
State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by SPDR (State Street). This fund owns the S&P 500 companies that sell everyday goods like food, drinks and household products. It charges 0.08% a year. From December 1998 to October 2026 it returned about 6.9% a year, and its worst drop was −35.9%.
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
- 14.4%
- to Oct 16, 2026
- Return per year
- 6.9%
- since December 1998
- Worst drop
- −35.9%
- since 1998
- Below its high
- −0.8%
- now
- Volatility
- 15.2%
- yearly swings
- Issuer
- SPDR (State Street)
- Tracks
- Consumer Staples Select Sector Index
- Started trading
- December 16, 1998
- Type
- US stocks, ETF
- Holdings
- 35 holdings as of October 15, 2026
- Expense ratio
- 0.08% a year
How has XLP done since 1998?#
From December 1998 to October 2026, XLP returned about 6.9% 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 $63,498 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.
| Period | XLP | S&P 500 (SPY) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | 5.8% | 1.5% |
| 3 months | 2.8% | 1.9% |
| 6 months | 9.1% | 9.3% |
| Year to date | 15.0% | 12.8% |
| 1 year | 14.4% | 16.8% |
| 3 years per year | 12.1% | 22.0% |
| 5 years per year | 7.1% | 12.8% |
| 10 years per year | 8.2% | 15.4% |
| Since 1998 per year | 6.9% | 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.
XLP returns by month and year#
XLP rose in 197 of its 335 months (59%). Its best month was December 2021, at 10.4%. Its worst was October 2008, at −12.6%.
| Year | Total | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 15.0% | 7.5 | 7.8 | −8.4 | 2.8 | −1.7 | 0.9 | 2.4 | −0.1 | −4.5 | 8.7 | ||
| 2025 | 1.5% | 0.5 | 5.2 | −1.2 | 0.2 | 1.2 | −1.6 | −1.5 | 1.3 | −2.3 | −2.7 | 4.1 | −1.3 |
| 2024 | 12.2% | 1.2 | 2.1 | 3.3 | −1.1 | 2.4 | −0.2 | 1.7 | 6.0 | 1.1 | −3.5 | 3.9 | −4.8 |
| 2023 | −0.8% | −1.1 | −2.3 | 4.2 | 3.7 | −6.2 | 2.8 | 2.1 | −3.9 | −4.8 | −1.4 | 4.1 | 2.7 |
| 2022 | −0.8% | −1.5 | −1.4 | 1.8 | 2.3 | −4.1 | −2.3 | 3.2 | −1.8 | −8.1 | 9.0 | 6.1 | −2.7 |
| 2021 | 17.2% | −5.0 | −1.2 | 8.5 | 1.9 | 1.8 | −0.5 | 2.2 | 1.1 | −4.1 | 3.5 | −1.3 | 10.5 |
| 2020 | 10.1% | 0.3 | −8.2 | −5.5 | 7.0 | 1.7 | −0.2 | 6.9 | 4.6 | −1.7 | −2.9 | 7.5 | 1.7 |
| 2019 | 27.4% | 5.1 | 1.8 | 3.8 | 2.9 | −3.6 | 5.2 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 1.8 | −0.4 | 1.4 | 2.4 |
| 2018 | −8.1% | 1.6 | −7.6 | −0.9 | −4.1 | −1.6 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.3 | −8.9 |
| 2017 | 13.0% | 1.7 | 4.8 | −0.4 | 1.1 | 2.7 | −2.2 | 0.7 | −1.1 | −0.7 | −1.6 | 5.6 | 2.3 |
| 2016 | 5.0% | 0.5 | 0.3 | 4.7 | −1.4 | 0.7 | 5.4 | −0.8 | −0.6 | −1.5 | −0.8 | −4.2 | 3.0 |
| 2015 | 6.9% | −1.0 | 4.1 | −1.9 | −0.8 | 0.9 | −1.8 | 5.7 | −6.0 | 0.4 | 5.7 | −0.9 | 2.9 |
| 2014 | 15.7% | −5.2 | 3.9 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 1.8 | −0.2 | −3.3 | 4.6 | 0.6 | 3.6 | 5.5 | −0.9 |
| 2013 | 26.3% | 5.6 | 3.3 | 4.9 | 2.9 | −2.2 | −0.3 | 4.3 | −4.5 | 1.4 | 6.4 | 1.6 | 0.7 |
| 2012 | 10.7% | −1.4 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 0.3 | −1.2 | 3.6 | 2.5 | −0.5 | 1.8 | −1.2 | 1.8 | −2.1 |
| 2011 | 14.1% | −1.5 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 5.4 | 2.5 | −2.7 | −1.3 | 0.2 | −3.3 | 4.7 | 2.8 | 2.8 |
| 2010 | 13.8% | −1.0 | 3.2 | 3.8 | −1.1 | −4.6 | −2.5 | 5.8 | −1.8 | 6.0 | 3.2 | −1.6 | 4.4 |
| 2009 | 14.3% | −7.2 | −8.1 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 0.2 | 6.7 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 1.5 | 3.7 | −0.2 |
| 2008 | −15.0% | −5.6 | −0.3 | 3.2 | −0.7 | 3.0 | −5.7 | 2.4 | 2.7 | −1.2 | −12.6 | −0.2 | 0.0 |
| 2007 | 12.7% | 2.0 | −1.5 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 1.4 | −2.0 | −2.8 | 2.4 | 4.6 | 1.5 | 2.8 | −0.8 |
| 2006 | 14.5% | 0.2 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 3.9 | 0.0 | 1.8 | −0.8 | 2.5 |
| 2005 | 2.8% | 1.2 | −0.1 | −0.9 | −1.0 | 2.3 | −1.9 | 3.2 | −1.7 | 1.4 | −0.5 | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| 2004 | 7.6% | 0.0 | 5.7 | −0.2 | 1.3 | −0.6 | 0.6 | −4.9 | 1.8 | −2.6 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 3.7 |
| 2003 | 11.2% | −3.4 | −3.1 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 4.9 | 1.0 | −0.1 | 1.7 | −0.4 | 4.5 | 1.2 | 1.8 |
| 2002 | −20.1% | −0.7 | 2.1 | 1.6 | −3.7 | −1.1 | −10.2 | −4.3 | 0.8 | −7.2 | 3.9 | −2.8 | 0.3 |
| 2001 | −9.9% | −7.3 | 0.6 | −6.9 | 1.9 | 1.5 | −4.6 | 3.0 | 0.5 | −0.1 | −0.6 | 4.4 | −2.0 |
| 2000 | 25.5% | 0.9 | −11.7 | 3.8 | 5.3 | 7.1 | 5.7 | −3.6 | −1.2 | 4.4 | 6.9 | 3.5 | 3.6 |
| 1999 | −14.3% | −1.3 | −1.0 | −0.1 | −3.5 | −1.0 | 1.8 | −3.7 | 1.7 | −9.0 | 9.1 | 0.3 | −7.3 |
| 1998 | 2.5% | 2.5 |
Each month runs from the last close of the month before. The first month counts from the first close.
How risky is XLP compared with the S&P 500?#
Measured from October 2021 to October 2026, on the days both traded.
- Beta 0.36. When the S&P 500 moved 1% in a day, XLP tended to move about 0.36%.
- Correlation 0.45. XLP moved with the S&P 500 some of the time.
- Up and down months. In months the S&P 500 rose, XLP rose 55% as much on average. In months it fell, XLP fell 50% as much.
| Measure | XLP | S&P 500 (SPY) |
|---|---|---|
| Return per year | 7.3% | 12.8% |
| Volatility | 13.8% | 17.1% |
| Worst drop | −16.3% | −24.5% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.58 | 0.79 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.83 | 1.15 |
| Calmar ratio | 0.45 | 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 XLP above its 200-day average?#
XLP closed 5.5% above its 200-day average on October 16, 2026. A rule that holds XLP only above that average would hold it today.
- vs 200-day average
- +5.5%
- above it
- 50-day vs 200-day
- +0.9%
- trend rising
- vs 52-week high
- −0.8%
- high of $88.31
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 XLP and backtest it in a minute.
What was XLP’s worst drop?#
A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. XLP’s worst fall was −35.9%, from December 28, 2000 to March 10, 2003. It got back to that high on October 26, 2006. On October 16, 2026 it was 0.8% below its highest close.
| Drop | From the high | To the bottom | Back to the high |
|---|---|---|---|
| −35.9% | Dec 28, 2000 | Mar 10, 20032.2 years | Oct 26, 20063.6 years |
| −32.4% | Sep 12, 2008 | Mar 9, 20096 months | Mar 17, 201012 months |
| −31.9% | Mar 18, 1999 | Mar 7, 200012 months | Nov 10, 20008 months |
| −24.5% | Feb 14, 2020 | Mar 23, 202038 days | Aug 12, 20205 months |
| −16.3% | Apr 20, 2022 | Oct 7, 20226 months | Mar 28, 202418 months |
Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.
What does XLP hold?#
This fund owns the S&P 500 companies that sell everyday goods like food, drinks and household products. People keep buying these things in good and bad times. Because it holds only one sector, it is less spread out than the whole market.
It tracks the Consumer Staples Select Sector Index. It had 35 holdings as of October 15, 2026, according to SPDR (State Street).
What is the XLP expense ratio?#
XLP 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 XLP?#
2 classic strategies hold XLP 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 XLP compare with similar ETFs?#
Funds that can stand in for XLP:
- VDC: Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF, 0.09% a year
- XLU: State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF, 0.08% a year
- VPU: Vanguard Utilities ETF, 0.09% a year
- XLV: State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF, 0.08% a year
See all 7 XLP alternatives, compared on the same dates as XLP.
Test XLP 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 XLP, 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 XLP 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 XLP?#
XLP 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 XLP start trading?#
XLP started trading on December 16, 1998. It is run by SPDR (State Street).
What does XLP track?#
XLP tracks the Consumer Staples Select Sector Index. This fund owns the S&P 500 companies that sell everyday goods like food, drinks and household products.
How much has XLP returned per year?#
From December 1998 to October 2026, XLP returned about 6.9% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −35.9%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.
Is XLP above its 200-day moving average?#
On October 16, 2026, XLP closed 5.5% above its 200-day moving average. This page updates after each US market close.
Which strategies use XLP?#
2 of Tactfolio’s classic strategies hold XLP, including Faber sector rotation (the three strongest US sectors), Inflation Compass (Varadi’s growth and inflation model).