Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF vs Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund — how do they compare? Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF trades at $127.59 (market cap $170.20B), while Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund trades at $49.52 (market cap $7.73B). The key difference: Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF is far larger — about 22× Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund's market cap, and Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF is trading nearer its 52-week high, Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF for 129 Days and Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund for 70 Days on average.
| VGT | XLB | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $170.20B | $7.73B |
Volume | 5,132,883 | 13,681,146 |
52-Week High | $129.79 | $53.67 |
52-Week Low | $83.59 | $42.23 |
Typical Hold Time | 129 Days | 70 Days |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
VGT trades at $127.00, down 1.83% today but maintains a bullish technical outlook with strong moving average support. The ETF's focus on pure-play technology stocks like Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft has delivered exceptional historical returns, averaging over 17% annually for two decades according to The Motley Fool (2026-10-03). Recent institutional buying activity signals continued confidence in the tech sector's growth prospects.
While VGT offers concentrated tech exposure with low fees, investors face sector concentration risk and potential AI slowdown concerns. The ETF's exclusion of major tech names like Google and Amazon due to classification rules creates unexpected portfolio gaps. Current technical strength supports near-term upside, but macroeconomic headwinds could pressure tech valuations.
XLB trades at $49.49, up 1.04% with a bearish technical signal from moving averages. The materials ETF shows neutral oscillators but faces selling pressure with ADX indicators signaling strong trends. Recent news highlights sector concentration risks with chemicals comprising 49% of assets, while infrastructure and manufacturing trends provide support. The ETF remains below its 200-day moving average of $50.93, indicating technical weakness.
Outlook remains cautious as materials sector faces cyclical headwinds with limited upside after recent rebound. Investment opportunity exists in AI-resistant businesses and infrastructure exposure, but risks include heavy concentration in chemicals and moderate overvaluation in construction materials. Wall Street sentiment appears mixed with some analysts viewing current levels as fully valued.
Trailing returns across standard periods
What Pluang investors did over the last 30 days
Latest headlines on both assets
The fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Index/Information Technology 25/50, an index made up of stocks of large, mid-size, and small US companies within the information technology sector, as classified under the GICS. The advisor attempts to replicate the target index by seeking to invest all of its assets in the stocks that make up the index, in order to hold each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the index. It is non-diversified.
Read more on VGT →In seeking to track the performance of the index, the fund employs a replication strategy. It generally invests substantially all, but at least 95%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the index. The index includes securities of companies from the following industries: chemicals; metals and mining; paper and forest products; containers and packaging; and construction materials. The fund is non-diversified.
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