ETF Spotlight on SPDR S&P 500 (NYSEArca: SPY), part of a weekly series. Assets: $72.3 billion
Objective: Tracks the S&P 500, an index of the largest 500 stocks in the United States
Holdings: Top holdings include Exxon (NYSE: XOM), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL).
What You Should Know
- SPY launched in 1993, making it the first ETF ever launched in the United States
- SPY is also the largest ETFs available, both in terms of trading volume and assets under management
- The S&P 500 is the most widely followed index of American large-cap stocks
- The index holds companies with a market cap of at least $3 billion
- Information technology is the top-weighted sector, at 19%
- Financials is 14%; health care is 13%; consumer staples is 11.6%; and energy is 11.5%
- The expense ratio is 0.10% [Winners and losers when dollar is weak]
The Latest News
- Year-to-date, the S&P 500 is up 22.7%; it’s 63.8% off the March 9 low [ETFs for a global recovery]
- Investor sentiment hit a five-month low today after stock valuations rose to their highest since 2002, reports Lynn Thomasson for Bloomberg
- The S&P 500 became a float-weighted index in 2005, which means it calculates the market caps relevant to the index by using only the stocks available to the public
To read past ETF Spotlights, visit our ETF Spotlight page.
The opinions and forecasts expressed herein are solely those of Tom Lydon, and may not actually come to pass. Information on this site should not be used or construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any product.