Designed to provide broad exposure to the Technology ETFs category of the market, the SPDR NYSE Technology ETF (XNTK) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 09/25/2000.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.
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.
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.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other 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. XNTK has been able to amass assets over $788.90 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Technology ETFs. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the NYSE Technology Index.
The NYSE Technology Index is composed of 35 leading U.S.-listed technology-related companies.
Cost & Other Expenses
When considering an ETF’s total return, expense ratios are an important factor. And, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins in the long term if all other factors remain equal.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.35% for this ETF, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.27%.
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.
XNTK’s heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, which is about 68.30% of the portfolio. Its Consumer Discretionary and Telecom round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Nvidia Corporation (NVDA) accounts for about 4.66% of total assets, followed by Tesla Inc (TSLA) and Sea Ltd. (singapore) Sponsored Adr Class A (SE).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 38.14% of XNTK’s total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the SPDR NYSE Technology ETF has added about 25.35% so far, and is up roughly 41.05% over the last 12 months (as of 11/17/2021). XNTK has traded between $126.16 and $175.28 in this past 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 1.13 and standard deviation of 29.37% for the trailing three-year period. With about 37 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
SPDR NYSE Technology 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.
Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) tracks Technology Select Sector Index and the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Information Technology 25/50 Index. Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF has $49.24 billion in assets, Vanguard Information Technology ETF has $55.82 billion. XLK has an expense ratio of 0.12% and VGT charges 0.10%.
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
.
Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox?
Zacks’ free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.
Click to get this free report