What Is The SPY ETF? | Bankrate (2024)

What Is The SPY ETF? | Bankrate (1)

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The SPDR S&P 500 ETF trust, listed on the New York Stock Exchange as SPY, is a popular exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the performance of the S&P 500 index. SPY is the first ETF listed in the U.S. and debuted in 1993. The fund offers investors exposure to around 500 of the largest companies in the U.S.

Here’s more about how the SPY ETF works and how to invest in it.

How does the SPY ETF work?

The SPY ETF is an index fund that aims to track the performance of the S&P 500 index, which is a stock index of about 500 of the largest publicly traded companies in the U.S. SPY holds a diversified portfolio of securities that closely match the key risk factors and characteristics of the full index.

Originally introduced in 1993, SPY is managed by State Street Global Advisors, and as of early 2024, it has $481.4 billion in assets under management and is the most actively traded ETF globally.

The price of one share of SPY is designed to be one-tenth the value of the S&P 500 Index. The ETF has generated an average annual return of over 9 percent since its inception.

What sectors is the SPY ETF invested in?

The top five sectors in SPY are information technology, healthcare, financials, consumer discretionary and communication services.

What Is The SPY ETF? | Bankrate (2)

Source: State Street Global Advisors

What are SPY’s holdings?

The tables below compare SPY to the S&P Index’s holdings. As you can see, the percentages are closely matched in most cases.

What Is The SPY ETF? | Bankrate (3)

Source: State Street Global Advisors

What are the benefits of the SPY ETF?

Many investors turn to index funds for diversification, tax efficiency, low fees and minimal maintenance. SPY offers exposure to over 500 of the largest stocks in the U.S. all in one fund, which can be much simpler than investing in many individual companies’ stocks.

What are the risks of the SPY ETF?

While SPY is a cost-effective and highly liquid investment option for investors, it’s also subject to the same risks as any other investment in the stock market, including market volatility, and economic and geopolitical risks. The value of equity securities can fluctuate and may decline significantly due to the actions of individual companies and general market and economic conditions.

How to invest in the SPY ETF

Investors can buy and sell shares of SPY or other ETFs or stocks with a brokerage account or a self-directed investment account, such as an IRA. Investors who work with a broker or financial advisor can direct their funds to be invested in SPY.

Bottom line

The SPY ETF is a cost-effective investment option for investors looking to gain exposure to about 500 large US companies. However, it is also subject to the same risks as any other investment in the stock market, including market volatility, and economic and geopolitical risks. That said, for investors looking to diversify their portfolios, the SPY ETF is a solid option.

Editorial Disclaimer: All investors are advised to conduct their own independent research into investment strategies before making an investment decision. In addition, investors are advised that past investment product performance is no guarantee of future price appreciation.

What Is The SPY ETF? | Bankrate (2024)

FAQs

What Is The SPY ETF? | Bankrate? ›

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF trust, listed on the New York Stock Exchange as SPY, is a popular exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the performance of the S&P 500 index. SPY is the first ETF listed in the U.S. and debuted in 1993. The fund offers investors exposure to around 500 of the largest companies in the U.S.

How does the SPY ETF work? ›

How Does the SPY ETF Work? The SPY ETF works like other S&P 500 ETFs, in that it attempts to replicate the returns of the S&P 500 index. To do this, SPY holds all the stocks in the S&P 500 in equal proportion to their weighting in the index.

Are SPY and S&P 500 the same? ›

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and trades under the ticker symbol SPY. The SPY's price tracks the S&P 500 index. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF allows investors to track the performance of the US economy without having to buy all the stocks listed on the S&P 500 directly.

Is it good to invest in SPY ETF? ›

SPDR S&P 500 ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, SPY is a sufficient option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend area of the market.

What is the difference between SPX and SPY? ›

SPX vs. SPY: What's the difference? SPY is the ticker symbol for an exchange-traded fund that tracks the performance of the S&P 500 Index; it trades like a stock. SPX is simply a numerical value that represents the level of the S&P 500 and cannot be traded directly.

Should I buy Voo or SPY? ›

Vanguard S&P offers a lower expense ratio (0.035%) than SPY (0.095%), which means lower costs for investors and potentially higher net returns over the long term. VOO might be the more economical choice for cost-conscious investors, especially those investing large sums or planning for long-term goals like retirement.

Is Qqq better than SPY? ›

In the past year, QQQ returned a total of 29.88%, which is higher than SPY's 26.19% return. Over the past 10 years, QQQ has had annualized average returns of 18.31% , compared to 12.50% for SPY. These numbers are adjusted for stock splits and include dividends.

What is the best SPY ETF? ›

  • SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) The SPDR S&P 500 ETF is the oldest of the S&P 500 index ETFs and it's the largest, in terms of assets. ...
  • Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF is so popular with investors that most just refer to it by its ticker: the VOO. ...
  • SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPLG)
Apr 25, 2024

Does SPY have dividends? ›

SPY Dividend Information

SPY has a dividend yield of 1.27% and paid $6.72 per share in the past year. The dividend is paid every three months and the last ex-dividend date was Mar 15, 2024.

Is SPY a buy or sell? ›

Is SPY a Buy, Sell or Hold? SPY has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy which is based on 407 buy ratings, 90 hold ratings and 7 sell ratings.

Why is SPY stock so popular? ›

The SPY ETF is highly liquid, meaning it can be easily bought and sold on major stock exchanges. Its significant trading volume ensures that investors can enter or exit positions without impacting the market price significantly. This liquidity makes it a preferred choice for many traders and institutions.

What is the best ETF to buy right now? ›

  • Top 7 ETFs to buy now.
  • Vanguard 500 ETF.
  • Invesco QQQ Trust.
  • Vanguard Growth ETF.
  • iShares Core SP Small-Cap ETF.
  • iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF.
  • Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF.
  • iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF.

What is the 30 year return of the SPY ETF? ›

In the last 30 Years, the SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) ETF obtained a 10.35% compound annual return, with a 15.12% standard deviation.

What is the average annual return of the SPY? ›

Since it was expanded to include 500 stocks in 1957, the average annualized return in the S&P 500 is closer to 10.15%. That means the average annualized return in SPY is roughly 10%.

Who manages SPY ETFs? ›

SPY is managed by State Street Global Advisors, an ETF pioneer and one of the world's largest asset managers, and is benchmarked to the S&P 500 Index from S&P Dow Jones Indices, one of the most trusted index providers.

What does SPDR stand for? ›

A Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipt, or SPDR, is a type of exchange traded fund that began trading on the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) in 1993 when State Street Global Advisors' investment management group first issued shares of the SPDR 500 Trust (SPY).

Does SPY ETF pay monthly dividends? ›

SPY Dividend Information

SPY has a dividend yield of 1.28% and paid $6.72 per share in the past year. The dividend is paid every three months and the last ex-dividend date was Mar 15, 2024.

Is SPYI ETF a good investment? ›

SPYI has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy which is based on 406 buy ratings, 92 hold ratings and 7 sell ratings. What is SPYI's price target? The average price target for SPYI is $55.78.

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