Benchmark research · Technology Sector
ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed XLK (Technology Sector)
Any investment can look great over a single hand-picked timeframe. To find what truly kept ahead of XLK (State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF), we screened XLK against the entire market of over 10,000 stocks and ETFs across 8 different time windows from 1 month to 10 years, including reinvested dividends. A contender had to come out ahead in both the short term and the long term to make the list. Data as of October 20, 2026.
Compare the entire market against XLK live →Key findings
- How hard it was to top XLK: Across over 10,000 stocks and ETFs screened, just 1 of 957 eligible ETFs, or 0.1%, and 94 of 1,502 eligible stocks, or 6.3%, outperformed in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term periods. None of the ETFs were all-weather, while 23 stocks were all-weather under the stricter rule.
- Who came out ahead across the three groups:
- Popular alternatives: SMH, which holds semiconductor companies, kept ahead of XLK in 3 of 3 long-term periods but only 2 of 5 short-term periods, so it fell short of the consistency rule. MSFT reached 3 of 5 short-term periods but only 1 of 3 long-term periods. AAPL, VGT, and FTEC also fell short, each outperforming in 2 of 5 short-term and 1 of 3 long-term periods.
- Top ETFs: The only ETF to make the cut was EWT, in the Technology category. It outperformed in 4 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term periods, with lower volatility and a higher Sharpe ratio than XLK.
- Top stocks: 94 stocks made the cut. The top stocks shown include NTRA and CORT in Healthcare, BWLP in Industrials, and FTNT in Technology. Each outperformed in 5 of 5 short-term and 3 of 3 long-term periods.
- The risk trade-off: Over 5 years, the top ETF group had lower median volatility than XLK and a higher median Sharpe ratio, meaning its returns were stronger relative to risk. The top stocks shown had median volatility of 50.3% compared with XLK's 26.0%, while 4 of 10 had a higher Sharpe ratio than the benchmark. The stock winners generally took a bumpier ride, and only some delivered more return per unit of risk.
How popular alternatives compare
Well-known funds and stocks investors often compare against XLK, sorted by long-term periods outperformed, then short-term.
| Investment | Periods outperformed | Short term | Long term | Risk · 5 years | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1M | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Volatilitylower is calmer | Sharpe ratiohigher is better | ||
| XLK State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (benchmark) | — | −4.8% | +5.7% | +20.3% | +29.0% | +29.3% | +131% | +143% | +767% | 26.0% | 0.82 |
| SMH Fell shortVanEck Semiconductor ETF | 2/5 short3/3 long | −8.3% | −2.2% | +17.8% | +46.4% | +57.8% | +290% | +323% | +1,665% | 36.9%1.4× XLK | 0.97 |
| MSFT Fell shortMicrosoft Corporation | 3/5 short1/3 long | +6.0% | +32.5% | +27.7% | +13.2% | +3.8% | +66.6% | +80.3% | +946% | 28.2%1.1× XLK | 0.56 |
| AAPL Fell shortApple Inc. | 2/5 short1/3 long | +0.2% | +4.0% | +24.6% | +25.6% | +29.9% | +99.0% | +133% | +1,168% | 28.0%1.1× XLK | 0.75 |
| VGT Fell shortVanguard Information Technology ETF | 2/5 short1/3 long | −4.2% | +6.3% | +19.1% | +27.6% | +26.7% | +138% | +133% | +779% | 26.0%1.0× XLK | 0.78 |
| FTEC Fell shortFidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF | 2/5 short1/3 long | −4.2% | +6.3% | +19.1% | +27.6% | +27.0% | +139% | +135% | +763% | 26.1%1.0× XLK | 0.79 |
| SKYY Fell shortFirst Trust Cloud Computing ETF | 3/5 short0/3 long | −2.9% | +19.5% | +37.0% | +27.8% | +21.5% | +122% | +43.4% | +396% | 31.4%1.2× XLK | 0.39 |
| IGV Fell shortiShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF | 3/5 short0/3 long | −0.2% | +15.0% | +23.9% | +4.2% | −6.1% | +57.9% | +24.0% | +383% | 28.9%1.1× XLK | 0.29 |
| QQQ Fell shortInvesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 | 1/5 short0/3 long | −3.2% | +3.2% | +11.2% | +17.4% | +17.9% | +106% | +97.2% | +553% | 23.0%0.9× XLK | 0.71 |
| AMZN Fell shortAmazon.com, Inc. | 1/5 short0/3 long | +1.6% | +5.1% | +5.8% | +16.0% | +21.3% | +110% | +53.8% | +548% | 36.6%1.4× XLK | 0.42 |
| SPY Fell shortState Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF | 1/5 short0/3 long | −0.6% | +3.9% | +9.1% | +13.5% | +15.8% | +89.3% | +81.7% | +321% | 17.1%0.7× XLK | 0.79 |
| VTI Fell shortVanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF | 1/5 short0/3 long | −0.8% | +3.2% | +8.3% | +13.1% | +15.2% | +87.9% | +72.6% | +302% | 17.5%0.7× XLK | 0.71 |
| QQEW Fell shortFirst Trust Nasdaq-100 Select Equal Weight ETF | 1/5 short0/3 long | −3.3% | +2.2% | +14.6% | +11.3% | +9.9% | +57.7% | +39.1% | +267% | 21.3%0.8× XLK | 0.42 |
| IWM Fell shortiShares Russell 2000 ETF | 1/5 short0/3 long | −3.4% | −5.4% | −0.1% | +11.6% | +12.3% | +71.3% | +29.0% | +158% | 22.4%0.9× XLK | 0.34 |
ETFs that consistently outperformed XLK
Top 1 by long-term periods outperformed, then short-term, then by 10Y return. Green cells outperformed XLK in that period. Excludes leveraged and inverse funds, ETFs under $100M in assets, stocks under $2.0B in market cap, and anything without 10 years of history.
| # | Investment | Periods outperformed | Short term | Long term | Risk · 5 years | Fund | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1M | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Volatilitylower is calmer | Sharpe ratiohigher is better | Expense | Assets | |||
| — | XLK State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (benchmark) | — | −4.8% | +5.7% | +20.3% | +29.0% | +29.3% | +131% | +143% | +767% | 26.0% | 0.82 | ||
| 1 | EWT TechnologyiShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 4/5 short2/3 long | −7.2% | +11.9% | +28.4% | +65.7% | +69.7% | +195% | +153% | +468% | 24.2%0.9× XLK | 0.89 | 0.59% | $12B |
Stocks that consistently outperformed XLK
Top 10 by long-term periods outperformed, then short-term, then by 10Y return. Individual stocks swing far more than funds; check the volatility column.
| # | Investment | Periods outperformed | Short term | Long term | Risk · 5 years | Company | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1M | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Volatilitylower is calmer | Sharpe ratiohigher is better | Market cap | |||
| — | XLK State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (benchmark) | — | −4.8% | +5.7% | +20.3% | +29.0% | +29.3% | +131% | +143% | +767% | 26.0% | 0.82 | |
| 1 | NTRA Medical - Diagnostics & ResearchNatera, Inc. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +9.5% | +54.6% | +95.4% | +77.4% | +115% | +896% | +261% | +3,841% | 57.6%2.2× XLK | 0.74 | $59B |
| 2 | BWLP Marine ShippingBW LPG Limited | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −1.7% | +22.6% | +44.0% | +117% | +136% | +230% | +958% | +2,672% | 50.9%2.0× XLK | 1.19 | $3.8B |
| 3 | FTNT Software - InfrastructureFortinet, Inc. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −2.5% | +6.6% | +107% | +119% | +101% | +203% | +156% | +2,626% | 44.8%1.7× XLK | 0.65 | $125B |
| 4 | CORT Medical - PharmaceuticalsCorcept Therapeutics Incorporated | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +2.4% | +27.2% | +151% | +205% | +48.2% | +317% | +498% | +1,593% | 75.9%2.9× XLK | 0.81 | $13B |
| 5 | MPC Oil & Gas Refining & MarketingMarathon Petroleum Corporation | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +18.1% | +51.1% | +123% | +191% | +159% | +234% | +690% | +1,387% | 33.4%1.3× XLK | 1.41 | $133B |
| 6 | CLMT Chemicals - SpecialtyCalumet Inc. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −3.6% | +29.0% | +74.8% | +187% | +198% | +235% | +427% | +1,319% | 56.5%2.2× XLK | 0.87 | $4.9B |
| 7 | WSM Specialty RetailWilliams-Sonoma, Inc. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +12.2% | +14.1% | +26.5% | +37.0% | +35.6% | +238% | +199% | +1,268% | 44.4%1.7× XLK | 0.71 | $30B |
| 8 | HALO BiotechnologyHalozyme Therapeutics, Inc. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +11.6% | +61.3% | +78.8% | +76.9% | +87.1% | +254% | +226% | +1,196% | 40.4%1.6× XLK | 0.79 | $14B |
| 9 | FRO Marine ShippingFrontline Plc | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +1.0% | +43.2% | +49.3% | +177% | +144% | +215% | +726% | +1,194% | 49.7%1.9× XLK | 1.10 | $11B |
| 10 | ANF Apparel - RetailAbercrombie & Fitch Co. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +18.3% | +71.3% | +66.3% | +30.7% | +143% | +166% | +328% | +1,117% | 62.9%2.4× XLK | 0.77 | $6.9B |
What stands out
The screen found a narrow set of consistent winners: just 1 ETF and 94 stocks met the rule. The ETF result points to Taiwan-focused technology exposure, while the stocks shown span Healthcare, Industrials, Technology, Energy, Materials, and Consumer Discretionary. Several of those stocks kept ahead in every measured short-term and long-term period, but the broader group of 94 qualified stocks need not share the same pattern.
The risk figures show a clear difference between the ETF and stock groups. The ETF's median volatility was below XLK's over 5 years, and its median Sharpe ratio was higher. By contrast, the top stocks shown had roughly double or more the benchmark's median volatility, and fewer than half had a higher Sharpe ratio. Their returns came with larger price swings, and the Sharpe results suggest that extra risk did not pay off equally across the group.
Methodology
- Short-term periods: 1M, 3M, 6M, YTD, 1Y. Long-term periods: 3Y, 5Y, 10Y. An investment outperformed a period when its total return, with dividends reinvested, was higher than XLK's. Returns within 0.5 points or 3% of XLK's (whichever is larger) count as a tie and are shown in gray.
- Consistent means outperforming in at least 3 of 5 short-term periods and 2 of 3 long-term periods, so a recent hot streak alone is not enough. All-weather means outperforming in every long-term period and all but one short-term period. Rankings use long-term periods outperformed, then short-term, then the 10Y return.
- Excludes leveraged and inverse funds, ETFs under $100M in assets, stocks under $2.0B in market cap, and anything without 10 years of history.
- Volatility is the annualized standard deviation of daily returns over 5 years. The Sharpe ratio is return above cash divided by volatility over the same period: higher means more return per unit of risk.
- Returns and risk figures are computed from daily adjusted prices and update with each market day. Past performance does not predict future results.