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Is SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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Making its debut on 01/31/2006, smart beta exchange traded fund SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Technology 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.
Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.
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.
By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.
This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
XSD is managed by State Street Global Advisors, and this fund has amassed over $1.02 billion, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Technology ETFs. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the S&P Semiconductor Select Industry Index.
The S&P Semiconductor Select Industry Index represents the Semiconductor sub-industry portion of the S&P Total Markets Index. The S&P TMI tracks all the U.S. common stocks listed on the NYSE, AMEX, NASDAQ National Market and NASDAQ Small Cap exchanges. The Semiconductor 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 XSD, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.28%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
XSD's heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, which is about 100% of the portfolio.
When you look at individual holdings, Micron Technology Inc. (MU - Free Report) accounts for about 3.41% of the fund's total assets, followed by Power Integrations Inc. (POWI - Free Report) and Rambus Inc. (RMBS - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 31.43% of XSD's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has lost about -32.78% so far this year and is down about -5.16% in the last one year (as of 07/20/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $146.01 and $248.86.
The fund has a beta of 1.33 and standard deviation of 39.78% for the trailing three-year period, which makes XSD a high risk choice in this particular space. With about 42 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
SPDR S&P Semiconductor 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.
IShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX - Free Report) tracks PHLX SOX Semiconductor Sector Index and the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH - Free Report) tracks MVIS US Listed Semiconductor 25 Index. IShares Semiconductor ETF has $6.80 billion in assets, VanEck Semiconductor ETF has $6.86 billion. SOXX has an expense ratio of 0.43% and SMH charges 0.35%.
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 Semiconductor ETF (XSD) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Making its debut on 01/31/2006, smart beta exchange traded fund SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Technology 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.
Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.
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.
By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.
This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
XSD is managed by State Street Global Advisors, and this fund has amassed over $1.02 billion, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Technology ETFs. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the S&P Semiconductor Select Industry Index.
The S&P Semiconductor Select Industry Index represents the Semiconductor sub-industry portion of the S&P Total Markets Index. The S&P TMI tracks all the U.S. common stocks listed on the NYSE, AMEX, NASDAQ National Market and NASDAQ Small Cap exchanges. The Semiconductor 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 XSD, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.28%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
XSD's heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, which is about 100% of the portfolio.
When you look at individual holdings, Micron Technology Inc. (MU - Free Report) accounts for about 3.41% of the fund's total assets, followed by Power Integrations Inc. (POWI - Free Report) and Rambus Inc. (RMBS - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 31.43% of XSD's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has lost about -32.78% so far this year and is down about -5.16% in the last one year (as of 07/20/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $146.01 and $248.86.
The fund has a beta of 1.33 and standard deviation of 39.78% for the trailing three-year period, which makes XSD a high risk choice in this particular space. With about 42 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
SPDR S&P Semiconductor 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.
IShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX - Free Report) tracks PHLX SOX Semiconductor Sector Index and the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH - Free Report) tracks MVIS US Listed Semiconductor 25 Index. IShares Semiconductor ETF has $6.80 billion in assets, VanEck Semiconductor ETF has $6.86 billion. SOXX has an expense ratio of 0.43% and SMH charges 0.35%.
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.