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Quick Read
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Fidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF (FTEC) has the lowest expense ratio at 0.08% and $16.67B in assets with 283-292 holdings, though its returns are heavily driven by Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft which comprise 44% of the fund. iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) dropped 20.11% year-to-date and is down 9.31% over the past year as AI disruption fears hit software stocks, while SPDR NYSE Technology ETF (XNTK) returned 32.22% over the past year with an equal-weight structure that gives semiconductor equipment makers like Micron, Lam Research, and Applied Materials significantly higher weightings than in cap-weighted peers.
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The three funds offer fundamentally different exposures to technology: FTEC provides lowest-cost broad-market coverage, XNTK’s equal-weight structure overweights semiconductor equipment and hardware makers relative to mega-cap dominance, and IGV’s concentrated software bet has faced headwinds from AI disruption concerns that Goldman Sachs characterizes as overdone repricing.
Three tech ETFs. Three very different portfolios. FTEC, IGV, and XNTK each carry the “technology” label, but what they actually hold — and how they’ve performed — tells three distinct stories about how to own the sector.
FTEC: The Broadest Tech Bet at the Lowest Cost
Fidelity MSCI Information Technology ETF (NYSEARCA:FTEC) tracks the MSCI USA IMI Information Technology Index, giving investors exposure to the full breadth of U.S. technology — from chip designers and semiconductor equipment makers to enterprise software and IT services. With roughly 283 to 292 holdings, it is the most diversified fund on this list.
The portfolio is anchored by mega-caps. NVIDIA, Apple, and Microsoft together account for roughly 44% of the fund, which is the central tradeoff here: FTEC looks diversified by count, but its returns are heavily shaped by three companies. Semiconductors are the largest sector slice at 32%, followed by systems software at 18% and technology hardware at 17%.
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What sets FTEC apart structurally is its cost. The expense ratio is 0.08% — among the lowest available for any sector ETF. Over a decade, a 0.08% expense ratio versus a 0.35% or 0.39% alternative saves a meaningful fraction of returns on a large position. The fund manages $16.67 billion in net assets, making it one of the largest pure-play tech ETFs available.
Performance has rewarded long-term holders. Over the past year, FTEC returned 27.78%, and over three years the fund gained 97.47%. Year-to-date in 2026, it is down 4.95%, reflecting broader sector pressure rather than anything fund-specific.
IGV: A Focused Bet on Software Through a Turbulent Stretch
The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (NYSEARCA:IGV) does something the other two funds on this list do not: it concentrates almost entirely on software. Application software accounts for 63% of the portfolio and systems software for another 34%, meaning there is essentially no semiconductor or hardware exposure. If you want a pure software thesis, IGV is the most direct expression of it.
The top holdings reflect that focus clearly. Microsoft, Palantir, Oracle, and Salesforce sit at the top of the portfolio, each carrying roughly 7% to 9% weight. The fund also holds cybersecurity names like Palo Alto Networks and CrowdStrike, cloud infrastructure players like ServiceNow, and a range of smaller SaaS businesses. It tracks the S&P North American Expanded Technology Software Index and has been doing so since July 2001, giving it a longer track record than either of its peers here.
The recent performance story is complicated. IGV fell sharply in early 2026 as AI disruption fears rattled software stocks broadly. The fund dropped 20.11% year-to-date and is down 9.31% over the past year. That is a stark contrast to FTEC and XNTK, both of which posted gains over the same trailing twelve months. The three-year return of 45.09% trails both peers by a wide margin.
The sell-off has attracted contrarian attention. After a 35% slide, the fund began rallying in early March 2026, with analyst Dan Niles noting that “certain software sectors like database, security, and high production cost gaming software are poised to perform well post-shakeout.” Goldman Sachs separately argued that “investor fears about AI disruption are overblown and have led to indiscriminate repricing.” The fund’s recovery depends on whether software earnings hold up as AI tools mature and whether the repricing was an overreaction or a preview of structural margin compression.
The expense ratio is 0.39% — meaningfully higher than FTEC — and the fund pays a dividend yield near zero, consistent with its growth-oriented, software-heavy composition. AUM stands at approximately $7.91 billion.
XNTK: Equal-Weight Logic Applied to a Broader Tech Universe
The SPDR NYSE Technology ETF (NYSEARCA:XNTK) takes a structurally different approach than either FTEC or IGV. Where those funds weight holdings by market capitalization, XNTK tracks the NYSE Technology Index with equal weighting across its holdings. That design choice has real consequences for what you actually own.
The top ten positions tell the story. Micron, Lam Research, Applied Materials, ASML, and Taiwan Semiconductor each carry roughly 3.5% to 5.6% weight, far higher than their representation in a cap-weighted fund like FTEC. Meanwhile, Nvidia and Apple, which dominate FTEC, carry only around 3% each in XNTK. The fund also includes names outside the traditional IT sector: Alphabet, Netflix, Meta, Amazon, and Tesla all appear in the top holdings, reflecting the NYSE Technology Index’s broader definition of what constitutes a technology company.
Sector allocation confirms this wider scope. Information technology makes up 69% of the fund, with communication services at 13% and consumer discretionary at 8%. That mix makes XNTK less of a pure IT play and more of a broad technology economy fund.
The equal-weight structure has paid off in recent performance. XNTK returned 32.22% over the past year and 130.98% over three years, the strongest showing across all three funds on both timeframes. Year-to-date it is down 4.71%, roughly in line with FTEC.
The five-year picture is more nuanced. XNTK’s 95.23% five-year gain trails FTEC’s 113.82% over the same stretch, suggesting that equal weighting’s advantage is more pronounced in certain market environments than others.
The expense ratio is 0.35%, and the fund manages approximately $1.52 billion in assets — considerably smaller than FTEC or IGV. Investors who prioritize maximum liquidity will find FTEC and IGV offer considerably deeper trading volume given their larger asset bases.
How the Three Funds Compare
|
Fund |
Expense Ratio |
AUM |
1-Year Return |
3-Year Return |
YTD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
FTEC |
0.08% |
$16.67B |
+27.78% |
+97.47% |
-4.95% |
|
IGV |
0.39% |
$7.91B |
-9.31% |
+45.09% |
-20.11% |
|
XNTK |
0.35% |
$1.52B |
+32.22% |
+130.98% |
-4.71% |
How the Three Funds Are Structurally Different
FTEC is structured for investors who prioritize cost and broad coverage. Its near-zero expense ratio is a structural advantage that compounds over time, and its size ensures deep liquidity. XNTK’s equal-weight structure gives semiconductor equipment makers, networking companies, and hardware names a genuine seat at the table, and the three-year track record reflects that structural difference. IGV is the most situational of the three. Its long-term 15-year annualized return of 13.42% shows the strategy works over full cycles, but the near-term path depends heavily on how the AI disruption narrative resolves, and the fund has already absorbed a sharp drawdown getting to this point.
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