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Is SPDR S&P Capital Markets ETF (KCE) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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The SPDR S&P Capital Markets ETF (KCE - Free Report) was launched on 11/08/2005, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Financials 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.

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

The fund is managed by State Street Global Advisors, and has been able to amass over $548.24 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Financials ETFs. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the S&P Capital Markets Select Industry Index.

The S&P Capital Markets Select Industry Index represents the capital markets segment of the S&P Total Market Index.

Cost & Other Expenses

Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.

With one of the least expensive products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.35%.

The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.46%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

Representing 100% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector.

When you look at individual holdings, Coinbase Global Inc Class A (COIN) accounts for about 2.4% of the fund's total assets, followed by Robinhood Markets Inc A (HOOD) and Carlyle Group Inc/the (CG).

The top 10 holdings account for about 19.08% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the SPDR S&P Capital Markets ETF has gained about 13.18% so far, and is up about 29.93% over the last 12 months (as of 07/29/2025). KCE has traded between $108.52 and $155.52 in this past 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 1.23 and standard deviation of 22.51% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 64 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .

Alternatives

SPDR S&P Capital Markets ETF is not a suitable option for investors seeking to outperform the Financials ETFs segment of the market. Instead, there are other ETFs in the space which investors should consider.

iShares U.S. Broker-Dealers & Securities Exchanges ETF(IAI) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Select Investment Services Index The fund has $1.45 billion in assets. IAI has an expense ratio of 0.40%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Financials 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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