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Is SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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A smart beta exchange traded fund, the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI - Free Report) debuted on 01/31/2006, and offers broad exposure to the Health Care 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.
However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.
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
The fund is managed by State Street Global Advisors, and has been able to amass over $7.08 billion, which makes it one of the largest ETFs in the Health Care ETFs. XBI seeks to match the performance of the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index before fees and expenses.
The S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index represents the biotechnology 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 Biotech 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.
Annual operating expenses for XBI are 0.35%, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 0.15%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
XBI's heaviest allocation is in the Healthcare sector, which is about 100% of the portfolio.
Taking into account individual holdings, Incyte Corp (INCY - Free Report) accounts for about 2.71% of the fund's total assets, followed by United Therapeutics Corp (UTHR - Free Report) and Natera Inc (NTRA - Free Report) .
XBI's top 10 holdings account for about 25.87% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, XBI return is roughly 10.53%, and was up about 53.94% in the last one year (as of 10/30/2024). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $66.23 and $102.89.
The fund has a beta of 0.94 and standard deviation of 34.70% for the trailing three-year period, which makes XBI a high risk choice in this particular space. With about 147 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
SPDR S&P Biotech ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Health Care ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology ETF (FBT - Free Report) tracks NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index and the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB - Free Report) tracks Nasdaq Biotechnology Index. First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology ETF has $1.19 billion in assets, iShares Biotechnology ETF has $7.16 billion. FBT has an expense ratio of 0.56% and IBB charges 0.45%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Health Care 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 Biotech ETF (XBI) a Strong ETF Right Now?
A smart beta exchange traded fund, the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI - Free Report) debuted on 01/31/2006, and offers broad exposure to the Health Care 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.
However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.
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
The fund is managed by State Street Global Advisors, and has been able to amass over $7.08 billion, which makes it one of the largest ETFs in the Health Care ETFs. XBI seeks to match the performance of the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index before fees and expenses.
The S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index represents the biotechnology 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 Biotech 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.
Annual operating expenses for XBI are 0.35%, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 0.15%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
XBI's heaviest allocation is in the Healthcare sector, which is about 100% of the portfolio.
Taking into account individual holdings, Incyte Corp (INCY - Free Report) accounts for about 2.71% of the fund's total assets, followed by United Therapeutics Corp (UTHR - Free Report) and Natera Inc (NTRA - Free Report) .
XBI's top 10 holdings account for about 25.87% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, XBI return is roughly 10.53%, and was up about 53.94% in the last one year (as of 10/30/2024). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $66.23 and $102.89.
The fund has a beta of 0.94 and standard deviation of 34.70% for the trailing three-year period, which makes XBI a high risk choice in this particular space. With about 147 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
SPDR S&P Biotech ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Health Care ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology ETF (FBT - Free Report) tracks NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index and the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB - Free Report) tracks Nasdaq Biotechnology Index. First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology ETF has $1.19 billion in assets, iShares Biotechnology ETF has $7.16 billion. FBT has an expense ratio of 0.56% and IBB charges 0.45%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Health Care 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.