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

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The State Street SPDR S&P Capital Markets ETF (KCE - Free Report) made its debut on 11/08/2005, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Financials ETFs category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.

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.

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.

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

KCE is managed by State Street Investment Management, and this fund has amassed over $441.27 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Financials ETFs. KCE, before fees and expenses, 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

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.

Annual operating expenses for KCE are 0.35%, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.67%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.

For KCE, it has heaviest allocation in the Financials sector --about 100% of the portfolio.

When you look at individual holdings, Stonex Group Inc (SNEX) accounts for about 1.97% of the fund's total assets, followed by Virtu Financial Inc Class A (VIRT) and Bgc Group Inc A (BGC).

KCE's top 10 holdings account for about 17.85% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has added about 3.59% and is up about 14.12% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 06/15/2026), respectively. KCE has traded between $132.62 and $161.48 during this last 52-week period.

KCE has a beta of 1.22 and standard deviation of 20.99% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a high risk choice in the space. With about 65 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .

Alternatives

State Street 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 $1.43 billion in assets. IAI has an expense ratio of 0.38%.

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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