XLF — State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF
Long live record
Full long-run factor record
What XLF Is
XLF (State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF) from SPDR is a US equity ETF with $50.2B in assets, regressed on the FF6 US over 332 months. The fund tilts away from size (smb) (β=-0.25); tilts toward value (hml) (β=0.89); tilts away from investment (cma) (β=-0.23). Backtested-simulation excess return is +5.17% annualized; the in-sample realized excess was +4.02%.
Why XLF Ranks This Way
- Backtested relative Sharpe is 0.62, below the market's 1.00 benchmark.
- Realized relative Sharpe is 0.43 over the fund's 332-month live sample.
- Strongest non-market tilts point toward value (hml) (β=0.89) and away from size (smb) (β=-0.25).
- Dividend valuation is 15% richer than its historical median (115 on the 100 scale).
This fund is classified as US Equity because that factor set produced the strongest accepted fit. Backtested figures use the winning model's full factor history (1963-Jul → 2026-Aug, 758 months), while the betas themselves are estimated over the fund-overlap window (332 months).
| Factor | β | t-stat | Backtested % | Realized % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size (SMB) | -0.249 | -5.30 | -0.59% | -0.61% |
| Value (HML) | 0.885 | 16.55 | +2.74% | +0.89% |
| Profitability (RMW) | -0.144 | -2.65 | -0.44% | -0.49% |
| Investment (CMA) | -0.232 | -3.05 | -0.69% | -0.55% |
| Momentum (UMD) | -0.116 | -4.25 | -0.84% | -0.39% |
| Non-Market Factor Contribution · combined non-market series | +0.24% | -0.97% | ||
| Alpha (intercept) | — | -1.06 | -1.67% | |
| Smart-Beta Net · combined non-market series + alpha | -1.43% | -2.63% | ||
| + Mkt-RF contribution · market | 1.047 | 31.52 | +6.42% | +7.23% |
| = Total excess return | +5.17% | +4.02% | ||
| + Rf base (%) | 4.44% → 9.60% total | 2.01% → 6.03% total | ||
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<iframe src="https://verifiedbeta.com/embed/us/XLF/waterfall/" width="720" height="540" style="border:0;" loading="lazy"></iframe>Factor-Similar ETFs
Matches share at least one verified factor exposure with XLF. They are ranked by modeled factor tracking error: the annualized volatility of their factor-return difference, not a return gap or forecast. Both funds use the same 36-month fitting window; a longer factor-volatility check also limits each match to 3% annualized. How matching works.
Showing the closest 12; the full cluster page includes every qualifying match.
FAQ
What does this XLF ETF page measure?
This page evaluates XLF using factor regressions, relative Sharpe, valuation, and peer context. It is designed for ETF due diligence rather than quote tracking.
Why can Backtested Sim. and Realized differ?
Both views use the same estimated betas. The difference is the return window: Backtested Sim. applies them to the full factor history, while Realized applies them only during the fund's live sample.
Why might a high-return fund still look weak here?
A fund can post strong raw returns and still look unattractive on this screen if its non-market factor capture is weak, its implementation drag is high, or its volatility-adjusted return profile is weaker than the market.
How should US investors use this page?
Use it as a starting point for ETF selection: check whether the fund's live behavior, valuation, and peer context match its stated strategy.
Factor decomposition shows what XLF's historical betas would have earned under each scenario — not a forecast, not investment advice. Backtested simulation assumes loadings stay fixed across the long sample, which is unrealistic for any real-world fund. Use this as one input to ETF due diligence, not a substitute for it.
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