5.0
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) is an exchange-traded fund that seeks to track the performance of the S&P 500 Index, comprised of the 500 largest publicly traded companies in the United States. The ETF is managed by State Street Global Advisors and trades under the ticker SPY on NYSE Arca.
Classified as an international equity ETF, SPY aims to reflect, before fees and expenses, the performance of the stocks that make up the S&P 500. To achieve this objective, the fund employs a passive management strategy, maintaining a portfolio that seeks to replicate the composition and weighting of its benchmark index.
The S&P 500 is weighted by float-adjusted market capitalization, giving greater weight to larger companies and broad representation of the U.S. economy. The index undergoes periodic reviews for inclusion, exclusion, and rebalancing, a process followed by the ETF.
Diversification and sector exposure
SPY provides broad exposure to U.S. large-cap stocks, companies with high liquidity and extensive analyst coverage. Sector diversification includes exposure to sectors such as:
Information technology.
Health care.
Consumer discretionary.
Consumer staples.
Financials.
Industrials.
Energy.
This composition reflects the economic structure of the United States, including leading companies in their respective industries.
Structure and costs
Shares of SPY are traded on the secondary market, while creation and redemption of shares are carried out by authorized participants, a mechanism that helps keep the ETF’s market price close to its net asset value (NAV).
The fund features a low expense ratio, typical of passive ETFs tracking the S&P 500, and does not charge a performance fee. SPY has a single share class and trades exclusively under the ticker SPY.
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) is structured as a unit investment trust (UIT), a feature that distinguishes it from most traditional ETFs. Despite this different legal structure, the fund’s primary objective remains to track the performance of the S&P 500 Index, in a manner comparable to other ETFs that replicate the same benchmark.
History and evolution of the ETF
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust was launched in 1993, as one of the first domestic ETFs in the United States, with the objective of providing efficient access to the U.S. equity market through a single exchange-traded vehicle.
Since its inception, SPY has become one of the most traded and liquid ETFs in the world, widely used by institutional and individual investors as a benchmark for U.S. large-cap exposure.
Over the years, the ETF has maintained a consistent focus on replicating the S&P 500, with operational and methodological adjustments aligned with market practices, without material changes to its investment policy.
Between 2020 and 2024, SPY reflected key movements in the U.S. stock market amid notable events including the COVID-19 pandemic, shifts in monetary policy, and technological advancements, maintaining high liquidity and broad global adoption.
