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Is SPDR S&P Software & Services ETF (XSW) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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Making its debut on 09/28/2011, smart beta exchange traded fund SPDR S&P Software & Services ETF (XSW - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Technology ETFs 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.
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.
There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track 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.
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 $210.70 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
For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.
With one of the least expensive products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.35%.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.08%.
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.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector - about 95.90% of the portfolio.
Taking into account individual holdings, Marathon Digital Holdings Inc (MARA - Free Report) accounts for about 0.88% of the fund's total assets, followed by Evo Payments Inc. Class A and Ping Identity Holding Corp. .
The top 10 holdings account for about 7.16% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has lost about -31.47% so far this year and is down about -37.74% in the last one year (as of 11/02/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $103.47 and $186.85.
The fund has a beta of 1.14 and standard deviation of 32.55% for the trailing three-year period, which makes XSW a high risk choice in this particular space. With about 199 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 Dynamic Software ETF tracks Dynamic Software Intellidex Index and the iShares Expanded TechSoftware Sector ETF (IGV - Free Report) tracks S&P North American Technology-Software Index. Invesco Dynamic Software ETF has $198.56 million in assets, iShares Expanded TechSoftware Sector ETF has $5.31 billion. PSJ has an expense ratio of 0.56% and IGV charges 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 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?
Making its debut on 09/28/2011, smart beta exchange traded fund SPDR S&P Software & Services ETF (XSW - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Technology ETFs 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.
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.
There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track 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.
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 $210.70 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
For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.
With one of the least expensive products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.35%.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.08%.
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.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector - about 95.90% of the portfolio.
Taking into account individual holdings, Marathon Digital Holdings Inc (MARA - Free Report) accounts for about 0.88% of the fund's total assets, followed by Evo Payments Inc. Class A and Ping Identity Holding Corp. .
The top 10 holdings account for about 7.16% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has lost about -31.47% so far this year and is down about -37.74% in the last one year (as of 11/02/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $103.47 and $186.85.
The fund has a beta of 1.14 and standard deviation of 32.55% for the trailing three-year period, which makes XSW a high risk choice in this particular space. With about 199 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 Dynamic Software ETF tracks Dynamic Software Intellidex Index and the iShares Expanded TechSoftware Sector ETF (IGV - Free Report) tracks S&P North American Technology-Software Index. Invesco Dynamic Software ETF has $198.56 million in assets, iShares Expanded TechSoftware Sector ETF has $5.31 billion. PSJ has an expense ratio of 0.56% and IGV charges 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 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.