Finance Sector

XLF offers extremely liquid exposure to the heavyweights in the US financials segment. Its cap-weighted, S&P 500-only portfolio means that it’s concentrated in large banks and avoids small-caps. XLF is large and massively liquid, far outpacing its peers in trading volume. A low fee and tight tracking round out the package of very low all-in costs. For many investors and traders, XLF is the go-to ETF for financials exposure, although there are more comprehensive funds out there for long-term exposure.Note: XLF spun off its real estate exposure in September 2016, consistent with the GICS reclassification that elevated real estate to sector-level status. The change was material: Real estate comprised about 20% of the fund at the time. For each share held, XLF shareholders as of 9/16/16 received 0.139146 shares of XLRE, State Stret Global Advisors' real estate ETF. (Immediately prior to the distribution, XLF had swapped its REITs for shares of XLRE.)