
The State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB) aims to replicate the investment outcomes, including both price appreciation and yield, of the Materials Select Sector Index, prior to accounting for expenses. This underlying index effectively represents the materials segment of the broader S&P 500 Index. The ETF offers focused exposure to companies across key materials industries, including chemicals, metals and mining, paper and forest products, containers and packaging, and construction materials. This precise targeting enables investors to establish either strategic long-term or…
Is XLB's expense ratio expensive, average, or a steal for its category?
Pro reveals the verdict on a 5-tier spectrum calibrated against ICI 2025 industry averages, with strategy-aware bands so the comparison is meaningful.

US to award $389 million in R&D funds for power semiconductors, critical materials

The AI infrastructure selloff has hit AI-linked industrials, including copper producers, potentially setting up a buying opportunity for investors with a longer-term outlook. While modelling by Goldman Sachs estimates that AI expectations are the biggest driver of today's copper prices, S&P Global projects AI and data centers will only account for about 10%. Under S&P Global's model, eliminating the entire data-center sector, including conventional cloud and internet services, would still leave a 7.5 million-tonne annual copper supply gap by 2040, versus its baseline.

September proved to be a fairly tumultuous month for many equity sectors outside of tech, and the materials sector was no exception. Key Takeaways: With the exception of tech, many equity sectors struggled to perform well in September.

Wedbush is betting that there is still an investment-friendly economy beyond artificial intelligence.

Construction materials and packaging are moderately overvalued, while chemicals show the weakest combination of value and quality scores. XLB's portfolio is heavily concentrated, with chemicals comprising 49% of assets and the top 10 holdings accounting for nearly 59%. XLB has outperformed the S&P 500 from 1999 through 2023, then lagged by a wide margin over the past three years.