ETF Versus

SPSM vs SPY

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 600 Small Cap ETF vs State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

Last updated: 2026-04-10

SPSM SPDR

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 600 Small Cap ETF (SPSM) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to small-cap U.S. equities with higher growth potential and volatility. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.52%. Launched in 2013, the fund has a 13-year track record.

AUM: $14.6B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.52% Since: Jul 8, 2013
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

SPSM has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.09%), saving about $119 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, SPSM has significantly outperformed with a 37.6% return vs 29.6%.

Key Metrics

Metric SPSM SPY
Expense Ratio 0.03% 0.09%
Dividend Yield 1.5% 1.1%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Small Cap US Large Cap Blend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 94 113 132 151 170 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
SPSM +18.5%
SPY +65.2%

Performance Comparison

Period SPSM SPY Difference
1 Month +4.27% +0.54% +3.73%
3 Months +2.71% -2.19% +4.90%
6 Months +11.44% +2.55% +8.89%
YTD +7.01% -0.47% +7.48%
1 Year +37.58% +29.62% +7.96%
3 Years +34.97% +65.95% -30.98%
5 Years +18.48% +65.18% -46.70%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period SPSM Fees SPY Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $60 $179 $119
$10,000 20 years $258 $771 $512
$10,000 30 years $835 $2,486 $1,650
$50,000 10 years $299 $896 $597
$50,000 30 years $4,176 $12,428 $8,252
$100,000 30 years $8,352 $24,855 $16,503

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric SPSM SPY
Annualized Volatility 21.5% 17.1%
Max Drawdown -28.7% -25.4%
Sharpe Ratio 0.06 0.41

Dividend Comparison

Metric SPSM SPY
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.77 $7.38
Dividend Yield 1.52% 1.09%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

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

SPSM Top Holdings

NameWeight
Viavi Solutions Inc.VIAV0.60%
FormFactor, Inc.FORM0.57%
Eastman Chemical CompanyEMN0.53%
Primoris Services CorporationPRIM0.53%
Element Solutions IncESI0.53%
Argan, Inc.AGX0.51%
Semtech CorporationSMTC0.51%
ESCO Technologies Inc.ESE0.50%
Match Group, Inc.MTCH0.49%
Viasat, Inc.VSAT0.48%

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 SPSM if...

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

Choose SPSM if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose SPSM if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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