ETF Versus

AGG vs XLK

iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF vs State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

AGG iShares

iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to the broad U.S. investment-grade bond market. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.94%. Launched in 2003, the fund has a 23-year track record.

AUM: $137.9B ER: 0.03% Yield: 3.94% Since: Sep 22, 2003
XLK

State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to us sector - technology securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.57%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: $82.2B ER: 0.08% Yield: 0.57% Since: Dec 16, 1998

Quick Verdict

AGG has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.08%), saving about $99 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, XLK has significantly outperformed with a 29.7% return vs 0.0%. Income investors may prefer AGG for its higher yield (3.9% vs 0.6%).

Key Metrics

Metric AGG XLK
Expense Ratio 0.03% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 3.9% 0.6%
Fund Family iShares N/A
Category US Aggregate Bond US Sector - Technology

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 108 136 164 192 220 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
AGG -13.0%
XLK +95.1%

Performance Comparison

Period AGG XLK Difference
1 Month -1.67% -3.32% +1.65%
3 Months -0.85% -6.51% +5.66%
6 Months -1.18% -5.23% +4.05%
YTD -0.85% -6.51% +5.66%
1 Year +0.04% +29.73% -29.69%
3 Years -0.82% +78.96% -79.78%
5 Years -13.01% +95.13% -108.14%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period AGG Fees XLK Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $60 $159 $99
$10.000 20 years $258 $686 $427
$10.000 30 years $835 $2.212 $1.377
$50.000 10 years $299 $797 $497
$50.000 30 years $4.176 $11.061 $6.886
$100.000 30 years $8.352 $22.123 $13.771

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric AGG XLK
Annualized Volatility 6.1% 24.7%
Max Drawdown -21.4% -34.0%
Sharpe Ratio -1.17 0.49

Dividend Comparison

Metric AGG XLK
Annual Dividend (per share) $3.90 $0.77
Dividend Yield 3.94% 0.57%
Distribution Frequency Monthly Quarterly

Top Holdings

XLK Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA15.50%
Apple Inc.AAPL13.63%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT10.05%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO5.37%
Micron Technology, Inc.MU3.39%
Palantir Technologies Inc.PLTR2.98%
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.AMD2.95%
Cisco Systems, Inc.CSCO2.73%
Applied Materials, Inc.AMAT2.42%
Lam Research CorporationLRCX2.38%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose AGG if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose XLK if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose AGG if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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