SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (2024)

FAQs

Is SPDR S&P 500 ETF a good investment? ›

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.

SPY, VOO and IVV are among the most popular S&P 500 ETFs. These three S&P 500 ETFs are quite similar, but may sometimes diverge in terms of costs or daily returns. Investors generally only need one S&P 500 ETF.

Choosing your investments

Investing in an S&P 500 fund can instantly diversify your portfolio and is generally considered less risky.

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.

When it comes to choosing between Vanguard and State Street SPDR for passive sector exposure, you really can't go wrong with either. Both offer low-cost options, but your selection should be based on your specific investment objectives. For buy-and-hold investors, Vanguard's sector ETFs may be the preferable choice.

Over the past decade, you would have done even better, as the S&P 500 posted an average annual return of a whopping 12.68%. Here's how much your account balance would be now if you were invested over the past 10 years: $1,000 would grow to $3,300. $5,000 would grow to $16,498.

The S&P 500 weighting system gives a small number of companies major influence, which could have an undue negative effect on the index if one or a few of them run into trouble. The index does not expose investors to small or emerging companies with the potential for market-beating growth.

Lack of Global Diversification

The S&P 500 is all US-domiciled companies that over the last ~40 years have accounted for ~50% of all global stocks. By just owning the S&P 500 you miss out on almost half of the global opportunity set which is another ~10,000 public companies.

Holding an ETF for longer than a year may get you a more favorable capital gains tax rate when you sell your investment.

Experts agree that for most personal investors, a portfolio comprising 5 to 10 ETFs is perfect in terms of diversification.

Should I put all my money into ETF? ›

You expose your portfolio to much higher risk with sector ETFs, so you should use them sparingly, but investing 5% to 10% of your total portfolio assets may be appropriate. If you want to be highly conservative, don't use these at all.

The main drawback to the S&P 500 is that the index gives higher weights to companies with more market capitalization. The stock prices for Apple and Microsoft have a much greater influence on the index than a company with a lower market cap.

The S&P 500 carries market risk, as its value fluctuates with overall market performance, as well as the performance of heavily weighted stocks and sectors. For example, the technology sector performed poorly in 2022 and was a large contributor to the index's correction that year.

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.

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%.

Risks of Investing in SPDR ETFs

Tracking error: While ETFs are designed to track the performance of their underlying index, there can be tracking errors due to factors such as fees, expenses and trading costs. Sector concentration risk: If you invest in a sector-specific SPDR ETF, you are subject to concentration risk.