In a remarkable turn of events in the financial world, the largest and most established ETF globally is on track to reach half a trillion dollars in AUM. This is especially thanks to a recent surge in investments, particularly after the latest Fed meeting.

SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY Quick QuoteSPY - Free Report) , which tracks the S&P 500 Index, pulled in a massive $46.2 billion this year. This inflow has propelled SPY's AUM to an unprecedented $490 billion, nearing the half-trillion-dollar mark — a first for any ETF. This figure substantially exceeds the AUM of its closest competitors, iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV Quick QuoteIVV - Free Report) and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO Quick QuoteVOO - Free Report) , which stand at $397 billion and $369 billion, respectively.

While IVV and VOO have seen respectable gains this year, with $36.6 billion and $41.3 billion in new assets, respectively, their growth has been more gradual. In contrast, SPY's rapid asset accumulation reflects its appeal to traders and investors favoring shorter-term strategies.

Behind the Solid Influx

Most of the SPY inflows came in recent weeks as the ETF pulling in nearly $36.1 billion since the Fed signaled rate cuts in 2024, triggering a robust stock market rally (read: S&P 500 ETF Sees Historic $21B Influx Amid Stock Surge).

The Fed provided an outlook for the possible end to its rate-hiking cycle, with expectations of lower borrowing costs in 2024. In its meeting this month, the central bank kept the federal funds rate steady at 5.25%-5.50% since late 2023 and penciled in three rate cuts for 2024. The cuts are expected to bring the key policy rate down to 4.4-4.9% by the end of 2024.

Additionally, Americans are now feeling more confident about the economy than they did over the past few months. U.S. consumer confidence jumped to a five-month high in December and retail sales posted surprise growth in November after declining in the prior month. The data signals that the U.S. economy can enjoy both modest growth and disinflation simultaneously.

Further, several analysts and market strategists expect the S&P 500 to touch new highs in 2024, bolstering investors’ confidence in the ETFs tracking the index. Goldman Sachs strategists recently raised the S&P 500 target from 4,700 to 5,100 in 2024 on increased confidence for Fed rate cuts in March. Oppenheimer sees the S&P 500 rising to 5,200 by the end of 2024.

Last month, strategists at RBC Capital Markets and Bank of America expressed their optimism by setting a year-end target of 5,000 for 2024. Their bullish stance is based on several factors — a growing positive sentiment in the stock market, a decrease in geopolitical risks, signs of cooling inflation and anticipation of the Fed’s rate-hiking cycle coming to an end. Other Wall Street forecasters are also optimistic, with Deutsche Bank and Société Générale predicting the S&P 500 to hit new highs in 2024 (read: 5 Undervalued Stocks in the S&P 500 ETF to Buy for 2024).

Further, Fundstrat Tom Lee, who has been one of the most persistently bullish forecasters on Wall Street this year, expects stocks to surge to a new all-time high in 2024 as the Fed shifts to a less restrictive monetary policy. He anticipates that the S&P 500 could soar to 5,200 by the end of 2024.

SPY in Focus

SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust holds 503 stocks in its basket, with each accounting for no more than 7.3% of the assets. This suggests a nice balance across each security and prevents heavy concentration. The fund is widely spread across sectors with information technology, financials, healthcare and consumer discretionary accounting for a double-digit allocation each.

SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust charges 9 bps in fees per year and trades in 71 million shares per day on average. It has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 (Hold) with a Medium risk outlook (see: all the Large Cap Blend ETFs here).