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Is SPDR S&P Software & Services ETF (XSW) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Technology ETFs category of the market, the SPDR S&P Software & Services ETF (XSW - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 09/28/2011.
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.
Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.
However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.
This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.
Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Because the fund has amassed over $491.72 million, this makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Technology ETFs. XSW is managed by State Street Global Advisors. 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
Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.35% for XSW, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.08%.
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.
Representing 96.40% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector.
When you look at individual holdings, Nextnav Inc (NN - Free Report) accounts for about 1.10% of the fund's total assets, followed by Cipher Mining Inc (CIFR - Free Report) and Microstrategy Inc Cl A (MSTR - Free Report) .
XSW's top 10 holdings account for about 9.62% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has gained about 34.67% and is up about 42.74% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 12/10/2024), respectively. XSW has traded between $141.27 and $204.72 during this last 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 1.15 and standard deviation of 28.98% for the trailing three-year period, which makes XSW a high risk choice in this particular space. With about 144 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 - Free Report) tracks STOXX WORLD AC NEXGEN SOFTWARE DEV ID and the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV - Free Report) tracks S&P North American Technology-Software Index. Invesco AI and Next Gen Software ETF has $424.79 million in assets, iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF has $10.85 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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Is SPDR S&P Software & Services ETF (XSW) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Designed to provide broad exposure to the Technology ETFs category of the market, the SPDR S&P Software & Services ETF (XSW - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 09/28/2011.
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.
Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.
However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.
This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.
Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Because the fund has amassed over $491.72 million, this makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Technology ETFs. XSW is managed by State Street Global Advisors. 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
Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.35% for XSW, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.08%.
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.
Representing 96.40% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector.
When you look at individual holdings, Nextnav Inc (NN - Free Report) accounts for about 1.10% of the fund's total assets, followed by Cipher Mining Inc (CIFR - Free Report) and Microstrategy Inc Cl A (MSTR - Free Report) .
XSW's top 10 holdings account for about 9.62% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has gained about 34.67% and is up about 42.74% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 12/10/2024), respectively. XSW has traded between $141.27 and $204.72 during this last 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 1.15 and standard deviation of 28.98% for the trailing three-year period, which makes XSW a high risk choice in this particular space. With about 144 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 - Free Report) tracks STOXX WORLD AC NEXGEN SOFTWARE DEV ID and the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV - Free Report) tracks S&P North American Technology-Software Index. Invesco AI and Next Gen Software ETF has $424.79 million in assets, iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF has $10.85 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.