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Is SPDR NYSE Technology ETF (XNTK) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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The SPDR NYSE Technology ETF (XNTK - Free Report) made its debut on 09/25/2000, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Technology ETFs category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.

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.

Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.

Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

Managed by State Street Global Advisors, XNTK has amassed assets over $364.49 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Technology ETFs. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the NYSE Technology Index before fees and expenses.

The NYSE Technology Index is composed of 35 leading U.S.-listed technology-related companies.

Cost & Other Expenses

Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.35%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 0.77%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector - about 67.60% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Telecom round out the top three.

Taking into account individual holdings, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM - Free Report) accounts for about 4.65% of the fund's total assets, followed by Apple Inc. (AAPL - Free Report) and Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 37.1% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has lost about -40.89% so far this year and is down about -37.03% in the last one year (as of 09/29/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $96.15 and $175.28.

XNTK has a beta of 1.19 and standard deviation of 33.26% for the trailing three-year period. With about 36 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.

Alternatives

SPDR NYSE Technology 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.

Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK - Free Report) tracks Technology Select Sector Index and the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Information Technology 25/50 Index. Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF has $37.41 billion in assets, Vanguard Information Technology ETF has $41.16 billion. XLK has an expense ratio of 0.10% and VGT charges 0.10%.

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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