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XARvsITAETF Comparison

ETF 1

XAR

State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF

Full XAR fund page

VS

ETF 2

ITA

iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF

Full ITA fund page

State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (XAR) and iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) belong to the same industry segment: . XAR's top 3 sector exposures are Industrials, Non-Energy Materials and Technology. In contrast, ITA's top sector exposures are Industrials, Non-Energy Materials and Non-Corporate. XAR is less expensive with a Total Expense Ratio (TER) of 0.35%, versus 0.37% for ITA. XAR is up 4.72% year-to-date (YTD) with +$958M in YTD flows. ITA performs better with 5.17% YTD performance, and +$67M in YTD flows. Run a side-by-side ETF comparison of XAR and ITA below, and assess how they stack up in performance, liquidity, risk, exposure, holdings, and more, helping you select the best ETF for your investments.

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XAR vs ITA performance and flow charts

Performance

Cumulative Flows

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Daily, global ETF data for advanced analysis or integration into apps (API), from our partner Trackinsight.

Data Services

Historic performance and flows

Data as of 09/01/2026

		1M	3M	YTD	1Y	3Y	5Y
Perf.	XAR ITA	-7.87%-8.42%	-9.89%-2.00%	+4.72%+5.17%	+16.11%+14.07%	+109.22%+97.84%	+111.46%+122.53%
Flows	XAR ITA	+$45M+$219M	+$101M-$234M	+$958M+$67M	+$1.22B+$2.68B	+$2.11B+$2.83B	+$2.46B+$5.15B

Volatility and drawdown

		3M	1Y	3Y	5Y
Volatility	XAR ITA	+30.91%+24.89%	+29.56%+23.42%	+24.20%+20.35%	+23.93%+20.50%
Max drawdown	XAR ITA	-14.98%-10.99%	-17.03%-15.79%	-19.74%-15.79%	-27.60%-18.75%
Max drawdown duration	XAR ITA	16d16d	204d122d	109d122d	608d227d

Trading data

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	XAR	ITA
Last sale 9/2/2026 at 1:30 PM	$250.13	$223.32
Previous close 09/01/2026	$252.04	$225.46
Consolidated volume 09/01/2026
Average volume 30 days
Average discount or premium 30 days
Average Bid/Ask spread 30 days

Replication quality

Data as of August 31, 2026

1-year trailing difference

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	XAR	ITA
Tracking error
Tracking difference
1 year cumulative return difference
Best
Worst
Daily return difference
Average
Worst

Main metrics

Last update 9/2/2026 at 1:30 PM

Live

Closed

	XAR	ITA
Last price	$250.13	$223.32
1D performance	-0.76%	-0.95%
AuM	$5.74 B	$13.46 B
E/R	0.35%	0.37%

Characteristics

	XAR	ITA
Management strategy	Passive	Passive
Provider	State Street Investment Management	iShares
Benchmark	S&P Aerospace & Defense Select Industry Index	Dow Jones U.S. Select Aerospace & Defense Index
N° of holdings	47	48
Asset class	Equities	Equities
Trailing 12m distribution yield	Join	Join
Inception date	September 28, 2011	May 1, 2006
ESG	No	No

More XAR data on Trackinsight

More ITA data on Trackinsight

Exposure

Countries

XAR

USA

98.94%

Other

1.06%

ITA

USA

99.94%

Other

0.06%

Sectors

XAR

Industrials

94.06%

Other

5.94%

ITA

Industrials

96.34%

Other

3.66%

Diversification

XAR

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

46.1%

ITA

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

87%

Top 15 holdings

Data as of July 31, 2026

XAR

RTX Corp.

3.35%

StandardAero, Inc.

3.27%

Axon Enterprise, Inc.

3.26%

Howmet Aerospace, Inc.

3.12%

GE Aerospace

3.12%

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.

3.12%

Hexcel Corp.

3.10%

General Dynamics Corp.

3.10%

VSE Corp.

3.10%

HEICO Corp.

3.07%

Lockheed Martin Corp.

3.06%

Karman Holdings, Inc.

2.90%

TransDigm Group, Inc.

2.86%

The Boeing Co.

2.85%

ATI, Inc.

2.82%

ITA

GE Aerospace

21.92%

RTX Corp.

17.08%

The Boeing Co.

9.26%

General Dynamics Corp.

4.77%

Howmet Aerospace, Inc.

4.73%

Lockheed Martin Corp.

4.66%

TransDigm Group, Inc.

4.39%

Northrop Grumman Corp.

4.20%

L3Harris Technologies, Inc.

3.62%

Axon Enterprise, Inc.

3.03%

Rocket Lab Corp.

2.36%

Curtiss-Wright Corp.

1.89%

Carpenter Technology Corp.

1.79%

ATI, Inc.

1.78%

Woodward, Inc.

1.52%

Frequently asked questions about XAR and ITA

How have the XAR and ITA ETFs performed in 2026?

As of September 1, 2026, XAR is up 4.72% year-to-date (YTD), while ITA has returned 5.17%. That puts ITA better performer ahead so far this year.

Which ETF is attracting more investor money: XAR or ITA?

Year-to-date, the XAR ETF saw +$958M in flows, compared to +$67M for ITA.

Which ETF is more volatile: XAR or ITA?

Over the past year, XAR had a volatility of 29.56%, while ITA experienced 23.42%.

Which ETF is bigger: XAR or ITA?

As of September 1, 2026, XAR holds $5.74 B in assets under management (AUM), while ITA manages $13.46 B.

What sectors do the XAR and ITA ETFs invest in?

XAR leans toward sectors like Industrials. Meanwhile, ITA focuses on Industrials.

What are the top holdings of the XAR ETF and ITA ETF?

XAR top holdings include RTX Corp., StandardAero, Inc. and Axon Enterprise, Inc.. ITA holds in its top three: GE Aerospace, RTX Corp. and The Boeing Co..

XARvsITAETF Comparison

State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF

iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF

XAR vs ITA performance and flow charts

Performance

Cumulative Flows

Get all the metrics on this page, and more, through a reliable ETF data feed

Countries

Sectors

Diversification

Top 15 holdings

How have the XAR and ITA ETFs performed in 2026?

As of September 1, 2026, XAR is up 4.72% year-to-date (YTD), while ITA has returned 5.17%. That puts ITA better performer ahead so far this year.

Which ETF is attracting more investor money: XAR or ITA?

Year-to-date, the XAR ETF saw +$958M in flows, compared to +$67M for ITA.

Which ETF is more volatile: XAR or ITA?

Over the past year, XAR had a volatility of 29.56%, while ITA experienced 23.42%.

Which ETF is bigger: XAR or ITA?

As of September 1, 2026, XAR holds $5.74 B in assets under management (AUM), while ITA manages $13.46 B.

What sectors do the XAR and ITA ETFs invest in?

XAR leans toward sectors like Industrials. Meanwhile, ITA focuses on Industrials.

What are the top holdings of the XAR ETF and ITA ETF?

XAR top holdings include RTX Corp., StandardAero, Inc. and Axon Enterprise, Inc.. ITA holds in its top three: GE Aerospace, RTX Corp. and The Boeing Co..

Which ETF is more diversified: XAR or ITA?

XAR holds 47 securities with 46.1% of its assets in the top 15. ITA has 50 securities and a top 15 weight of 87%.

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