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Is State Street SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF (QUS) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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A smart beta exchange traded fund, the State Street SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF (QUS - Free Report) debuted on 04/15/2015, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.
Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.
If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking non-cap weighted strategies.
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.
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
Managed by State Street Investment Management, QUS has amassed assets over $1.56 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Blend. QUS, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA Factor Mix A-Series Index.
The MSCI USA Factor Mix A-Series Capped Index seeks to measure the equity market performance of large and mid-cap companies across the U.S. equity market.
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.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.15% for this ETF, which makes it one of the cheaper products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.37%.
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 25.1% of the portfolio. Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Microsoft Corp (MSFT) accounts for about 3% of the fund's total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL) and Nvidia Corp (NVDA).
QUS's top 10 holdings account for about 21.27% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has added roughly 1.09% so far this year and is up about 12.1% in the last one year (as of 01/22/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $140.84 and $177.37
The ETF has a beta of 0.87 and standard deviation of 11.99% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 548 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
State Street SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) tracks S&P 500 Index and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) tracks S&P 500 Index. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $758.87 billion in assets, Vanguard S&P 500 ETF has $843.48 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VOO changes 0.03%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - Large Cap Blend
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 State Street SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF (QUS) a Strong ETF Right Now?
A smart beta exchange traded fund, the State Street SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF (QUS - Free Report) debuted on 04/15/2015, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.
Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.
If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking non-cap weighted strategies.
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.
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
Managed by State Street Investment Management, QUS has amassed assets over $1.56 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Blend. QUS, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA Factor Mix A-Series Index.
The MSCI USA Factor Mix A-Series Capped Index seeks to measure the equity market performance of large and mid-cap companies across the U.S. equity market.
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.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.15% for this ETF, which makes it one of the cheaper products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.37%.
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 25.1% of the portfolio. Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Microsoft Corp (MSFT) accounts for about 3% of the fund's total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL) and Nvidia Corp (NVDA).
QUS's top 10 holdings account for about 21.27% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has added roughly 1.09% so far this year and is up about 12.1% in the last one year (as of 01/22/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $140.84 and $177.37
The ETF has a beta of 0.87 and standard deviation of 11.99% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 548 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
State Street SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) tracks S&P 500 Index and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) tracks S&P 500 Index. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $758.87 billion in assets, Vanguard S&P 500 ETF has $843.48 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VOO changes 0.03%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - Large Cap Blend
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.