ETFs by Sector and Industry: Complete List and Performance
Every major public company is assigned to one of 11 sectors under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS), a framework developed by MSCI and S&P in 1999. GICS organizes equities into 11 sectors, 25 industry groups, 74 industries, and 163 sub-industries — and sector ETFs are built to mirror these groupings, giving investors a way to target specific parts of the economy through a single fund.
The 11 GICS sectors are: Communication Services, Consumer Discretionary, Consumer Staples, Energy, Financials, Health Care, Industrials, Information Technology, Materials, Real Estate, and Utilities. Real Estate became the 11th sector when it was separated from Financials in 2016, and the former Telecommunication Services sector was renamed Communication Services in 2018, absorbing companies like Meta and Google from Information Technology.
Several major providers offer full suites of sector ETFs by industry:
- State Street SPDR: Pioneered the first suite of sector ETFs in 1998. The 11 Select Sector SPDRs cover each GICS sector — XLK (Technology), XLV (Health Care), XLF (Financials), XLE (Energy), XLY (Consumer Discretionary), XLP (Consumer Staples), XLI (Industrials), XLB (Materials), XLC (Communication Services), XLRE (Real Estate), and XLU (Utilities).
- Vanguard: Offers sector ETFs including VGT (Information Technology), VHT (Health Care), VNQ (Real Estate), VDE (Energy), VFH (Financials), VIS (Industrials), VAW (Materials), and VPU (Utilities).
- Fidelity: Runs a parallel suite of MSCI-indexed sector ETFs such as FTEC (Information Technology), FHLC (Health Care), FREL (Real Estate), FUTY (Utilities), FIDU (Industrials), and FMAT (Materials).
- iShares (BlackRock): Offers both U.S. and global sector funds, including IYW (Technology), IYH (Healthcare), IYR (Real Estate), and IFRA (U.S. Infrastructure).
Sector classifications sometimes produce surprises. Amazon and Tesla are both classified under Consumer Discretionary — not Technology or Energy. Netflix falls into Communication Services, not Technology. Meanwhile, Microsoft (Software & Services) and Apple (Technology Hardware) sit in the same Technology sector but in different industries. Conglomerates like Berkshire Hathaway are classified based on their largest revenue source.
Markets move in cycles, and sectors respond differently. Cyclical sectors like Technology, Consumer Discretionary, and Industrials tend to perform well during economic expansions. Defensive sectors — Health Care, Utilities, and Consumer Staples — typically hold up better during downturns. For a broader view of the largest companies in the world by market cap, or to explore a complete list of ETFs with tickers, see our dedicated pages.
Regulated brokerThe table below lists sector and industry ETFs from all major providers, with live performance data and fund details.
| Stock | Price | Change % | 52 Week Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| $59.35 | 0.03% | ||
| $49.11 | 0.24% | ||
| $44.66 | 4.05% | ||
| $161.67 | 1.46% | ||
| $80.17 | 3.29% | ||
| $135.34 | 2.23% | ||
| $145.38 | 0.84% | ||
| $107.75 | 1.78% | ||
| $81.32 | 0.79% | ||
| $47.00 | 1.56% | ||
| $177.10 | 1.18% | ||
| $93.45 | 3.13% | ||
| $96.25 | 2.50% | ||
| $88.26 | 2.63% | ||
| $88.75 | 3.10% | ||
| $104.77 | 3.85% | ||
| $62.43 | 0.08% | ||
| $387.13 | 1.40% | ||
| $101.77 | 3.23% | ||
| $78.64 | 1.58% | ||
| $384.74 | 2.58% | ||
| $161.65 | 1.71% | ||
| $57.85 | 0.16% | ||
| $63.02 | 0.27% | ||
| $185.16 | 4.60% |
