KRE vs KBE Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
KRE and KBE sit in related but distinct corners of the ETF landscape — KRE centers on concentrated, equal-weighted regional bank exposure, while KBE focuses on equal-weighted exposure to the whole banking industry, not just regionals. Investors choosing between them should weigh how each fund's strategy lines up with their own goals rather than assuming they're interchangeable.
Choosing between KRE and KBE comes down to which specific exposure — concentrated, equal-weighted regional bank exposure or equal-weighted exposure to the whole banking industry, not just regionals — better matches the role you want this holding to play in a diversified portfolio.
KRE holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. KRE has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+26.87% vs +22.39% for KBE).
- want concentrated, equal-weighted regional bank exposure
- prefer State Street's approach and fund lineup
- value equal weighting avoids domination by any single regional bank
- are comfortable with highly sensitive to Fed rate policy and yield-curve shape
- want equal-weighted exposure to the whole banking industry, not just regionals
- prefer State Street's approach and fund lineup
- value includes large money-center banks for more diversification than KRE
- are comfortable with still highly sensitive to interest rates and credit cycles
| Metric | KRE | KBE |
|---|---|---|
| ETF scorei | 25.1 | 25.1 |
| Latest closei | $74.13 | $67.83 |
| 1M returni | +5.31% | +5.74% |
| 3M returni | -3.60% | -3.92% |
| 6M returni | +6.05% | +5.96% |
| 1Y returni | +26.87% | +22.39% |
The ETF score weights long-term returns and risk-adjusted performance most heavily, but still rewards low expense ratios, larger fund size, and broader diversification — so it can favor low-cost, broad, mega-cap funds over smaller thematic or actively-managed funds even when the latter have delivered stronger returns.
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | KRE | KBE |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $12.99K (+29.9%) started 2025-11-04 | $12.53K (+25.3%) started 2025-11-04 |
| 5Y ago | $13.19K (+31.9%) started 2021-11-05 | $15.67K (+56.7%) started 2021-11-05 |
| 10Y ago | $28.63K (+186.3%) started 2016-11-07 | $32.75K (+227.5%) started 2016-11-07 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | KRE | KBE |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratioi | 0.35% | 0.35% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $4.01B | $1.5B |
| Dividend yieldi | 2.24% | 2.24% |
| Trailing P/Ei | 12.35 | 12.65 |
| Betai | 0.90 | 0.96 |
| 52-week change | 26.87% | 22.39% |
| Metric | KRE | KBE |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y returni | +26.87% | +22.39% |
| 6M returni | +6.05% | +5.96% |
| 3M returni | -3.60% | -3.92% |
| 1M returni | +5.31% | +5.74% |
| 1Y Sharpe ratio | 1.05 | 0.91 |
| Betai | 0.90 | 0.96 |
| Dividend yieldi | 2.24% | 2.24% |
| 5Y CAGR | +2.66% | +6.24% |
Over the past year, KRE and KBE have moved strongly in the same direction (correlation of 0.99), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | KRE | KBE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +26.87% | +22.39% |
| CAGRi | +26.89% | +22.41% | |
| Volatilityi | 20.58% | 19.48% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 1.05 | 0.91 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 1.55 | 1.33 | |
| Max drawdowni | 14.95% | 14.63% | |
| Current drawdowni | 4.33% | 4.82% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 4.43% | 4.47% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 5.88% | 6.00% | |
| Max daily dropi | 5.14% | 4.95% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 7.13% | 6.82% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +14.00% | +35.30% |
| CAGRi | +2.66% | +6.24% | |
| Volatilityi | 29.32% | 26.81% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.08 | 0.19 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.12 | 0.28 | |
| Max drawdowni | 52.69% | 45.25% | |
| Current drawdowni | 4.33% | 4.82% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 20.45% | 15.08% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 24.45% | 18.82% | |
| Max daily dropi | 12.31% | 9.96% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 25.83% | 22.67% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +115.34% | +147.48% |
| CAGRi | +7.98% | +9.49% | |
| Volatilityi | 31.76% | 29.68% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.26 | 0.30 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.37 | 0.44 | |
| Max drawdowni | 55.03% | 53.14% | |
| Current drawdowni | 4.33% | 4.82% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 16.86% | 13.55% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 21.59% | 17.83% | |
| Max daily dropi | 15.49% | 14.72% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 26.25% | 25.93% |
| Category | KRE | KBE |
|---|---|---|
| Fund name | State Street SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF | State Street SPDR S&P Bank ETF |
| Type | ETF | ETF |
| Expense ratioi | 0.35% | 0.35% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $4.01B | $1.5B |
| Dividend yieldi | 2.24% | 2.24% |
- Equal weighting avoids domination by any single regional bank
- Popular, liquid vehicle for trading bank-sector sentiment
- Direct exposure to net-interest-margin and loan-growth trends
- Includes large money-center banks for more diversification than KRE
- Equal weighting avoids mega-bank domination
- Liquid, widely used sector-sentiment vehicle
- Highly sensitive to Fed rate policy and yield-curve shape
- Regional banks proved vulnerable to deposit runs in past stress events
- Excludes money-center banks like JPMorgan entirely
- Still highly sensitive to interest rates and credit cycles
- Overlaps meaningfully with KRE's regional bank holdings
- Bank-sector stress can hit both funds simultaneously
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