Compare/Updated Oct 26, 2026, refreshed every trading day
VGT vs XLK
Vanguard Information Technology ETF against State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF: 4 years of returns, risk and today’s technical read, from Kavout’s own data.
VGT did best over the period, turning $1,000 into $2,924, versus $2,909 for XLK and $2,565 for QQQ. Its 192.4% gain narrowly exceeded XLK’s 190.9% and clearly outpaced QQQ’s 156.5%. VGT also had the lowest expense ratio among the technology-focused funds at 0.09%, compared with XLK’s 0.08% and QQQ’s 0.20%, though XLK was marginally cheaper. The results matter because VGT delivered the strongest long-term outcome while maintaining lower 12-month volatility than XLK: 25.0% versus 26.7%. QQQ was less volatile at 20.0% and had the shallowest worst drawdown at -22.8%, compared with -27.2% for VGT and -25.7% for XLK, but its return lagged substantially. VGT and XLK were extremely similar, with 0.993 correlation, while both were less closely correlated with QQQ.
- Price is above its 200-day average ($109); 50-day at $122.
- RSI 40, neutral. Supertrend says sell. ADX 25, so the trend is developing.
- Price is above its 200-day average ($168); 50-day at $190.
- RSI 38, neutral. Supertrend says sell. ADX 26, so the trend is strong.
Head to head
Which has returned more, VGT or XLK?
VGT beat XLK in 25 of the last 48 months; XLK won the other 23. The typical monthly gap was 0.46 points.
Total return by period
Which is riskier?
VGT: Dec 16, 2024 to Apr 8, 2025; XLK: Feb 19, 2025 to Apr 8, 2025
- 0.993
- correlation of daily moves, 4 years
- 0.98
- VGT move per 1% in XLK
- 0.993
- correlation, last 12 months
Month by month
Of the last 48 months. The typical gap was 0.46 points.
When did they diverge?
| Month | VGT | XLK | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | -5.3% | -8.0% | +2.63 pts |
| May 2026 | +17.3% | +19.8% | -2.43 pts |
| July 2024 | -1.5% | -3.3% | +1.81 pts |
| October 2023 | -1.7% | +0.1% | -1.75 pts |
Where the numbers come from. 1000 daily adjusted closes per fund from the Kavout market-data API, dividends included. Signals and indicators are Kavout’s own, refreshed nightly. Every figure is calculated from those adjusted closes.
Holdings and fees
What do you actually own with VGT and XLK?
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