1. What does the SPY ETF do for investors?
The SPDR SPY ETF is the oldest ETF in the world and provides exposure to the 500 largest US-listed shares. These 500 shares represent approximately 80% of the total market capitalisation of the US stock market.
The SPY ETF can be used by Australian investors to get exposure to a broad basket of the largest companies in the United States of America. These companies are some of the largest, most diverse and successful companies in the world. The S&P 500 index is often considered the best gauge of large-cap American shares.
2. Funds under management (FUM)
The SPDR SPY ETF had $127.84 million of money invested when we last pulled the monthly numbers. Given SPY’s total funds under management (FUM) figure is over $100 million, the ETF has met our minimum criteria for the total amount of money invested, otherwise known as FUM. We draw the line at $100 million for ETFs in the International shares sector because we believe that relative to smaller ETFs, achieving this amount of FUM de-risks the ETF.
3. Don’t forget about the fees & costs
SPDR charges investors a yearly management fee of 0.09% for the SPY ETF. This means that if you invested $2,000 in SPY for a full year, you could expect to pay management fees of around $1.80.
For context, the average management fee (MER) of all ETFs covered by Best ETFs Australia on our complete list of ASX ETFs is 0.51% or around $10.20 per $2,000 invested. Keep in mind, small changes in fees can make a big difference after 10 or 20 years.
Now what?
These are just a few of the considerations or factors you would need to look at when running the rule over the SPY ETF. Before you go any further, take a look at our free SPDR SPY report. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to search our complete list of ASX ETFs.
Read More: SPDR S&P 500 Trust ETF (ASX:SPY) ETF: What you need to know