
The State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) is designed to reflect, before expenses, the price and yield performance of the Health Care Select Sector Index. This benchmark offers a clear representation of the healthcare industry within the S&P 500. The fund provides focused exposure to companies across diverse healthcare fields, such as pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and supplies, healthcare providers and services, biotechnology, life sciences tools and services, and health technology. It allows investors to make targeted strategic or tactical allocations that are more precise than those offered by traditional style-based investment vehicles.
Is XLV'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.

MOO has recently broken out and is showing real momentum, while XLV continues its uptrend and XLK holds around the 50-day EMA. The agriculture ETF carries the strongest bullish outlook of the three.

Worries about slowing growth and inflation may benefit defensive funds focusing on sectors like utilities, consumer staples and healthcare.

FDA clearance of Lilly and Roche's Alzheimer's blood test highlights a growing diagnostics market and four healthcare ETFs to watch.

If you're interested in broad exposure to the Healthcare - Broad segment of the equity market, look no further than the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF ETF (XLV), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on December 16, 1998.

BlackRock Health Sciences Trust (BME) has recently outperformed due to a narrowing NAV discount, not superior portfolio management. XLV, the passive healthcare ETF, has consistently delivered higher total returns and better NAV preservation than BME over 5- and 10-year periods. BME's recent strategy shift away from call options to capital gains distributions has not produced positive alpha relative to XLV.