XLU
State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF
#10 of 11 in US Sectors by own-history percentile (high → low)
Relative to SPY
Relative price history
XLU ÷ SPY, 10-year range, as of Sep 18, 2026
How the reading moved
These changes re-score an older XLU÷SPY ratio against today's 10-year window, so they show whether the relative price has drifted toward the highs or lows of its own history — not a peer ranking and not a return forecast.
- About one week: -0.6 pts (from 0.6% on Aug 31, 2026 to 0% now)
- About one month: -2.1 pts (from 2.1% on Jul 31, 2026 to 0% now)
US Sectors
Where this sits among peers
US Sectors · XLU highlighted · same axes as the category chart on the home page
Top holdings
Holdings snapshot as of Jul 17, 2026.
What moves this
XLU behaves more like a bond proxy than a typical equity sector: because utility earnings are regulated and relatively fixed, the sector's relative price is more sensitive to the direction of interest rates than to sector-specific earnings growth.
FAQ
Why is utilities' price more about rates than earnings?
Regulated utilities have limited ability to grow earnings beyond what regulators approve, so their valuation behaves more like a fixed-income instrument competing with bond yields.
Does this sector benefit when rates fall?
It has historically been more attractive relative to bonds when yields fall, though this page reports relative price, not a rate forecast.
Are utilities exposed to power-demand growth from data centers?
That's an emerging demand driver for some names in the sector, but it's a recent and still-developing theme relative to the sector's decades-long rate sensitivity.
US Sectors
Related in this category
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- XLIState Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETFNear lows (4.5%)
- XLFState Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETFNear lows (5.7%)