The SPDR S&P Software & Services ETF (XSW) was launched on 09/28/2011, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Technology ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.
These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.
The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by State Street Global Advisors. XSW has been able to amass assets over $337.24 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Technology ETFs. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the S&P Software & Services Select Industry Index before fees and expenses.
The S&P Software & Services Select Industry Index represents the software sub-industry portion of the S&P Total Stock Market Index. The S&P TMI tracks all the U.S. common stocks listed on the NYSE, AMEX, NASDAQ National Market and NASDAQ Global Select Market. The Software Index is a modified equal weight index.
Cost & Other Expenses
Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.35% for this ETF, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.
XSW's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 0.12%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
XSW's heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, which is about 96.80% of the portfolio.
Looking at individual holdings, Matterport Inc (MTTR) accounts for about 1.67% of total assets, followed by Zeta Global Holdings Corp A (ZETA) and Oracle Corp (ORCL).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 10.81% of XSW's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, XSW has lost about -4.21%, and was up about 6.06% in the last one year (as of 08/08/2024). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $117.57 and $159.72.
The fund has a beta of 1.13 and standard deviation of 28.91% for the trailing three-year period, which makes XSW a high risk choice in this particular space. With about 136 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
SPDR S&P Software & Services ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Technology ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
Invesco AI and Next Gen Software ETF (IGPT) tracks STOXX WORLD AC NEXGEN SOFTWARE DEV ID and the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) tracks S&P North American Technology-Software Index. Invesco AI and Next Gen Software ETF has $348.40 million in assets, iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF has $5.83 billion. IGPT has an expense ratio of 0.60% and IGV charges 0.41%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Technology ETFs.
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.
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Get it free >>SPDR S&P Software & Services ETF (XSW): ETF Research Reports
Oracle Corporation (ORCL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV): ETF Research Reports
Zeta Global Holdings Corp. (ZETA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Matterport, Inc. (MTTR) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Invesco AI and Next Gen Software ETF (IGPT): ETF Research Reports
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
