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MDY vs SPY

State Street SPDR S&P MIDCAP 400 ETF Trust vs State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

Last updated: 2026-04-10

MDY SPDR

State Street SPDR S&P MIDCAP 400 ETF Trust (MDY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to mid-cap U.S. companies balancing growth potential and stability. It charges a moderate expense ratio of 0.24%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.11%. Launched in 1995, the fund has a 31-year track record.

AUM: $25.2B ER: 0.24% Yield: 1.11% Since: May 4, 1995
SPY SPDR

State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. equities across growth and value styles. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.09%. Launched in 1993, the fund has a 33-year track record.

AUM: $678.3B ER: 0.09% Yield: 1.09% Since: Jan 22, 1993

Quick Verdict

SPY is significantly cheaper at 0.09% vs 0.24% expense ratio, saving you approximately $296 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. MDY has edged ahead over the past year (31.1% vs 29.6%).

Key Metrics

Metric MDY SPY
Expense Ratio 0.24% 0.09%
Dividend Yield 1.1% 1.1%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Mid Cap US Large Cap Blend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 98 116 134 152 170 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
MDY +31.8%
SPY +65.2%

Performance Comparison

Period MDY SPY Difference
1 Month +3.01% +0.54% +2.47%
3 Months +1.74% -2.19% +3.93%
6 Months +9.24% +2.55% +6.69%
YTD +5.23% -0.47% +5.70%
1 Year +31.12% +29.62% +1.50%
3 Years +40.99% +65.95% -24.96%
5 Years +31.81% +65.18% -33.37%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period MDY Fees SPY Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $475 $179 $296
$10,000 20 years $2,028 $771 $1,258
$10,000 30 years $6,497 $2,486 $4,011
$50,000 10 years $2,375 $896 $1,479
$50,000 30 years $32,483 $12,428 $20,056
$100,000 30 years $64,967 $24,855 $40,112

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric MDY SPY
Annualized Volatility 19.8% 17.1%
Max Drawdown -24.5% -25.4%
Sharpe Ratio 0.15 0.41

Dividend Comparison

Metric MDY SPY
Annual Dividend (per share) $7.12 $7.38
Dividend Yield 1.11% 1.09%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

MDY Top Holdings

NameWeight
TechnipFMC plcFTI0.86%
U.S. DollarCASH_USD0.85%
Casey's General Stores, Inc.CASY0.84%
Flex Ltd.FLEX0.80%
Curtiss-Wright CorporationCW0.80%
United Therapeutics CorporationUTHR0.75%
XPO, Inc.XPO0.74%
Woodward, Inc.WWD0.70%
FabrinetFN0.65%
Royal Gold, Inc.RGLD0.65%

SPY Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA7.61%
Apple Inc.AAPL6.54%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.78%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.72%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.86%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.53%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.31%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.66%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.51%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose SPY if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

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