Compare the Select Sector SPDR ETFs on equal footing: every line is rebased to 0% at the start of the selected window, with SPY dashed as the benchmark. Use the spread to see leadership, then cross-check whether that leadership is broad, new, or unusually risky.
As of market close on September 23, 2026, 1 of 11 sectors closed higher. The daily leader was XLE at +0.96%; XLU lagged at -1.92%. Year to date, XLE leads at +39.50% while XLY trails at -7.34%. 2 of 11 sectors are ahead of SPY's +12.60%, a concentrated leadership profile.
Energy returned +39.9%, +24.1 pp versus SPY.
Comparable window starts 2025-09-23. Relative leadership is not a forecast or a standalone buy signal.
Close-price returns; dividends excluded. Interactive windows use calendar cutoffs, while the table uses fixed trading-session lookbacks. On MAX, each late-starting ETF joins at its first observation and begins at 0%.
How many of the 11 sectors are outperforming SPY over the 1Y window — the green band counts beaters, the red band laggards. Broad leadership means participation is distributed across the market; a thin green band means a handful of heavyweights are carrying the index. Right now 3 of 11 sectors are beating SPY. The common comparison starts 2025-09-23.
The rotation map separates a fresh one-month impulse from an established six-month trend, while the risk map asks whether the selected-window return came with more or less realized volatility than SPY. Together they distinguish durable leadership from a fast rebound or a volatile outlier.
Both axes show excess return versus SPY. Upper-left sectors are newly emerging; lower-right sectors retain a six-month lead but have begun to fade.
SPY's dashed crosshairs divide the field. Upper-left points delivered more return with less day-to-day volatility; hover a point for its worst peak-to-trough drawdown.
Common comparison period: 2025-09-23 to 2026-09-23. Volatility is annualized from daily close returns; short-window estimates can move quickly.
| ETF | Close | 1D | 1W | 1M ▼ | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XLK | $195.34 | -0.47% | +6.20% | +8.49% | +6.71% | +43.47% | +35.68% | +38.22% |
| SPY | $767.81 | -0.72% | +1.82% | +0.57% | +4.71% | +17.55% | +12.60% | +15.14% |
| XLC | $112.56 | -0.85% | -0.39% | +0.21% | +5.65% | +1.29% | -4.38% | -5.08% |
| XLE | $62.37 | +0.96% | -2.59% | -1.17% | +16.43% | +2.51% | +39.50% | +42.27% |
| XLV | $168.80 | -0.64% | +0.61% | -3.38% | +10.07% | +16.58% | +9.04% | +23.55% |
| XLI | $170.10 | -0.10% | +0.82% | -4.97% | -5.61% | +3.72% | +9.66% | +11.18% |
| XLP | $82.43 | -0.36% | -1.08% | -5.74% | -2.38% | +1.63% | +6.11% | +5.73% |
| XLB | $50.28 | -0.49% | -0.16% | -6.16% | -1.72% | +3.78% | +10.87% | +11.26% |
| XLF | $54.54 | -0.47% | -2.49% | -6.32% | +1.53% | +10.67% | -0.42% | +1.00% |
| XLY | $110.65 | -1.50% | +0.43% | -6.47% | -3.84% | +0.88% | -7.34% | -7.86% |
| XLRE | $41.84 | -1.55% | -2.27% | -7.70% | -6.00% | +3.85% | +3.69% | +0.41% |
| XLU | $39.75 | -1.92% | -3.80% | -8.03% | -12.71% | -11.84% | -6.89% | -6.69% |
Energy returned +39.9%, +24.1 pp versus SPY.
Comparable window starts 2025-09-23. Relative leadership is not a forecast or a standalone buy signal.