XLF vs. KBE: Which Financial ETF Is the Better Buy?
KBE delivered stronger 1-year returns but has experienced greater historical volatility, while XLF offers a lower expense ratio and broader, more diversified financial exposure.
Overview
Investors seeking financial exposure can choose between the broad-market State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT:XLF), which offers low-cost diversified access to the sector, or the more targeted State Street SPDR S&P Bank ETF (NYSEMKT:KBE), for a more concentrated bet on the banking industry.
Both funds are managed by State Street (NYSE:STT), but they serve different roles in a portfolio -- XLF tracks the heavyweights of the S&P 500's financial sector, while KBE uses a modified equal-weighted strategy to provide exposure to banks across the market cap spectrum.
Details
Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from monthly returns over the available fund history (up to five years). The 1-year return represents total return over the trailing 12 months. Dividend yield is the trailing-12-month distribution yield.
Source
Originally published at www.fool.com.