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Smart Beta Compass

Factor Performance and Flows

Recent performance of specific factor-driven indices that are tracked by relevant European-listed Smart Beta ETFs and the flows in both European and US-listed Smart Beta ETF categories by their relevant factor exposure.

9 min read

Factor Performance

The charts in this section show the relative performance of each index against a single cap-weighted market benchmark in three critical geographic regions: World/Global, USA, and Eurozone/Europe.

Q1 marked a return to Growth in the USA and Value in Europe. US equities retreated in Q1 while Europe rallied, led by the Eurozone complex. Value outperformed in Europe, while defensive Low Volatility was the best factor exposure in World and US equities. The picture was mixed across geographic benchmarks: MSCI World (-1.8%), S&P 500® (-4.4%), EURO STOXX® (+7.7%), and MSCI Europe (+5.9%).

Value Exposure Select and Dividend Aristocrats significantly outperformed in Europe. The MSCI Europe Value Exposure Select Index beat the MSCI Europe Index in Q1 due to positive stock selection in Health Care (+159bps) and Financials (+107bps).1

The S&P Euro High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index outperformed the EURO STOXX Index in Q1 due to an underweight allocation to Technology (+156bps) and positive stock selection in Industrials (+98bps).2

Smart Beta ETF Flows

The figures in this section show the nominal net assets gathered by each category, across all geographic regions, over four relevant time periods. The top two and bottom two factor categories in each time period are highlighted.

ETF flows continued in Dividend Stocks, with Growth and Quality out of favour.

European and US ETF investors took significant steps in positioning for defensiveness using dividend factor ETFs. European investors pulled cash from Size and Quality, while US investors opted to sell Growth funds.

Figure 13: European-listed Smart Beta Flows (US$M)

Factor Category March 2025 Year to Date  Last 12 Months YTD (% of AUM)
Dividend 895 1,215 3,129 +3.39%
Growth -47 -93 -355  -6.10%
Low Volatility 615 1.208 -12 +15.15%
Momentum 97  369 765 +7.26%
Multifactor 64 168 629 +2.17%
Quality -295 -296  -466 -2.52%
Size -1,532 -437 19,679 -0.88%
Value 733 889 -799 +5.62%
Total 530 3,025 22,570 +2.24%

Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P., as of 31 March 2025. The top two (green) and bottom two (red) categories are highlighted in each time period. Flows are as of the date indicated and should not be relied upon thereafter.

Figure 14: US-listed Smart Beta Flows (US$M)

Factor Category March 2025 Year to Date  Last 12 Months YTD (% of AUM) 
Dividend 5,580 5,979 27,217 +1.31%
Growth -489 -1,018 -1,473 -9.08%
Low Volatility -199 -1,834 -9,305 -3.60%
Momentum -359 2,529 11,126 +7.13%
Multifactor 1,051 2,502 2,910 +2.79%
Quality -207 811 8,601 +0.73%
Size 587 2,352 18,646 +2.94%
Value -1,134 -981 7,157 -0.76%
Total 4,830 10,340 64,879 +1.86%

Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P., as of 31 March 2025. The top two (green) and bottom two (red) categories are highlighted in each time period. Flows are as of the date indicated and should not be relied upon thereafter.

SPDR® ETFs Smart Beta Range

Range ETF ISIN Fund Assets
($mn)
Total Expense Ratio Year to Date Fund Flows
($mn) 
Xetra
(Primary Ticker, €) 
London Stock Exchange SIX Swiss
(CHF)
Borsa Italiana
(€)
Euronext
(€)
Dividend Aristocrats SPDR® S&P® Global Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF (Dist) IE00B9CQXS71 1,188 0.45 -62 ZPRG GBDV (£)
GLDV ($) 
GLDV GLDV  
  SPDR® S&P® U.S. Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF (Dist) IE00B6YX5D40 3,635 0.35 -121 SPYD USDV (£)
UDVD ($) 
USDV USDV  
  SPDR® S&P® U.S. Dividend Aristocrats EUR Hdg UCITS ETF (Dist) IE00B979GK47 50 0.40 -1 SPPD   USDE USDE  
  SPDR® S&P® Euro Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF (Dist) IE00B5M1WJ87 1,104 0.30 +29 SPYW EUDV (£)
EUDI (€) 
EUDV EUDV EUDV
  SPDR® S&P® UK Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF (Dist) IE00B6S2Z822 113 0.30 -7 SPYG UKDV (£)  UKDV    
  SPDR® S&P® Pan Asia Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF (Dist) IE00B9KNR336 176 0.55 -5 ZPRA PADV (£)
ASDV ($) 
PADV PADV  
  SPDR® S&P® Emerging Markets Dividend UCITS ETF (Dist) IE00B6YX5B26 138 0.55 +13 SPYV EMDV (£)
EDVD ($) 
EMDV EMDV  
Screened SPDR® S&P® Global Dividend Aristocrats Screened UCITS ETF (Dist) IE00BYTH5S21 20 0.45 +0 ZPD3 GEDV ($)      GEDV
  SPDR® S&P® U.S. Dividend Aristocrats Screened UCITS ETF (Dist) IE00BYTH5R14 28 0.35 +0 ZPD6 UGDV (£)
UEDV ($)
  UEDV UEDV
  SPDR® S&P® Euro Dividend Aristocrats Screened UCITS ETF (Dist) IE00BYTH5T38 9 0.30 +1 ZPD9       EEDV
Quality SPDR® S&P Developed Quality Aristocrats UCITS ETF (Acc)  IE000IISJT64 17 0.35 +15 QDEV  QDEV ($)       
  SPDR® S&P 500® Quality Aristocrats UCITS ETF (Acc)  IE000FJJZA01 6 0.25 +0 QUS5  QUS5 ($)      
Low Volatility SPDR® S&P® 500 Low Volatility UCITS ETF (Acc) IE00B802KR88 134 0.35 +7 SPY1 USLV (£)
LOWV ($) 
LOWV LOWV LOWV
  SPDR® EURO STOXX® Low Volatility UCITS ETF (Acc) IE00BFTWP510 19 0.30 -1 ZPRL   ELOW ELOW ELOW
Value SPDR® MSCI World Value UCITS ETF (Acc) IE00BJXRT813 68 0.25 -3   VALW (£)
WVAL ($) 
    WVAL*
  SPDR® MSCI USA Value UCITS ETF IE00BSPLC520 145 0.20 +6 ZPRU UVAL (£)
USVL ($) 
UVAL    
  SPDR® MSCI USA Small Cap Value Weighted UCITS ETF IE00BSPLC413 591 0.30 +41 ZPRV USSC ($)      
  SPDR® MSCI Europe Value UCITS ETF IE00BSPLC306 27 0.20 +0 ZPRW EVAL (£)  EVAL    
  SPDR® MSCI Europe Small Cap Value Weighted UCITS ETF IE00BSPLC298 247 0.30 +7 ZPRX EUSV (£)       

Source: State Street Global Advisors, as of 01 April 2025. The AUM is converted to USD from the base currency for non-USD denominated funds. *Primary ticker (if not listed on Xetra).

US-listed Smart Beta Flows (US$M)

Fund/Index Name 1 Month 3 Months 6 Months Year-to-
Date
1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years Since Inception
Inception Date 15 May 2013                  
SPDR S&P Global Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF 1.18 3.62 -2.44 3.62 11.74 2.85 11.43 4.34 4.88
S&P Global Dividend Aristocrats Quality Income Index1 1.15 3.64 -2.59 3.64 11.45 2.75 11.39 4.35 4.93
Difference 0.03 -0.02 0.15 -0.02 0.29 0.10 0.04 -0.01 -0.05
Inception Date 14 October 2011                  
SPDR S&P US Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF -1.34 3.26 -3.40 3.26 5.44 4.17 13.71 8.76 10.75
S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index -1.34 3.29 -3.43 3.29 5.41 4.08 13.62 8.69 10.68
Difference 0.00 -0.03 0.03 -0.03 0.03 0.09 0.09 0.07 0.07
Inception Date 14 June 2019                  
SPDR S&P U.S. Dividend Aristocrats EUR Hedge UCITS ETF  -1.49 2.85 -4.26 2.85 3.44 1.34 11.27 - 5.43
S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats EUR Dynamic Hedged Index -1.48 2.87 -4.30 2.87 3.38 1.36 11.16 - 5.20
Difference -0.01 -0.02 0.04 -0.02 0.06 -0.02 0.11 - 0.23
Inception Date 28 February 2012                  
SPDR S&P Euro Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF 1.74 10.07 4.49 10.07 13.68 10.58 11.81 5.09 7.84
S&P Euro High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index 1.72 10.16 4.59 10.16 13.38 10.20 11.41 4.70 7.48
Difference 0.02 -0.09 -0.10 -0.09 0.30 0.38 0.40 0.39 0.36
Inception Date 28 February 2012                  
SPDR S&P UK Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF -3.95 0.94 0.17 0.94 10.55 3.27 7.18 2.20 4.56
S&P UK High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index -3.91 1.03 0.33 1.03 11.22 3.84 7.69 2.71 5.07
Difference -0.04 -0.09 -0.16 -0.09 -0.67 -0.57 -0.51 -0.51 -0.51
Inception Date 15 May 2013                  
SPDR S&P Pan Asia Dividend Aristrocrats UCITS ETF 1.32 3.99 -3.28 3.99 8.78 3.13 7.37 4.35 4.13
S&P Pan Asia Dividend Aristocrats Index  1.28 4.14 -3.01 4.14 9.03 3.54 7.89 4.89 4.66
Difference 0.04 -0.15 -0.27 -0.15 -0.25 -0.41 -0.52 -0.54 -0.53
Inception Date 14 October 2011                  
SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF -0.93 0.38 -3.41 0.38 8.84 3.82 9.10 2.32 0.43
S&P Emerging Markets High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index2 -0.91 0.75 -3.17 0.75 10.25 4.93 10.07 3.39 1.45
Difference -0.02 -0.37 -0.24 -0.37 -1.41 -1.11 -0.97 -1.07 -1.02
Inception Date 03 June 2021                  
SPDR S&P Global Dividend Aristocrats ESG UCITS ETF 0.05 2.92 -2.80 2.92 9.20 4.46 - - 4.01
S&P Global ESG Dividend Aristocrats Quality Income Index 0.05 2.98 -2.80 2.98 9.24 4.49 - - 4.08
Difference 0.00 -0.06 0.00 -0.06 -0.04 -0.03 - - -0.07
Inception Date 03 June 2021                  
SPDR S&P U.S. Dividend Aristocrats Screened UCITS ETF -1.91 2.03 -4.82 2.03 0.57 2.96 - - 3.61
S&P ESG High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index -1.95 1.99 -4.91 1.99 0.48 2.87 - - 3.52
Difference 0.04 0.04 0.09 0.04 0.09 0.09 - - 0.09
Inception Date 03 June 2021                  
SPDR S&P Euro Dividend Aristocrats ESG UCITS ETF 0.05 9.21 5.48 9.21 15.15 9.35 - - 6.37
S&P Euro ESG High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index 0.00 9.22 5.48 9.22 14.69 9.03 - - 6.12
Difference 0.05 -0.01 0.00 -0.01 0.46 0.32 - - 0.25
Inception Date 03 October 2012                  
SPDR S&P 500 Low Volatility UCITS ETF 0.32 7.06 4.79 7.06 15.00 5.47 11.56 8.80 9.96
S&P 500 Low Volatility Index 0.31 7.08 4.80 7.08 15.02 5.43 11.54 8.81 9.97
Difference 0.01 -0.02 -0.01 -0.02 -0.02 0.04 0.02 -0.01 -0.01
Inception Date 24 March 2014                  
SPDR EURO STOXX Low Volatility UCITS ETF 1.43 9.95 6.91 9.95 12.64 6.53 10.20 5.19 7.22
EUROSTOXX Low Risk Weighted 100 Index 1.44 10.09 6.84 10.09 12.19 6.20 9.95 4.94 6.98
Difference -0.01 -0.14 0.07 -0.14 0.45 0.33 0.25 0.25 0.24
Inception Date 03 September 2020                  
SPDR MSCI World Value UCITS ETF  -0.69 5.57 -0.21 5.57 3.58 7.09 - - 11.34
MSCI World Value Exposure Select Index -0.69 5.60 -0.17 5.60 3.40 7.08 - - 11.35
Difference 0.00 -0.03 -0.04 -0.03 0.18 0.01 - - -0.01
Inception Date 18 February 2015                  
SPDR MSCI USA Value UCITS ETF -3.38 0.82 -3.93 0.82 -2.50 2.65 14.21 7.44 7.18
MSCI USA Value Exposure Select Index3 -3.40 0.77 -4.05 0.77 -2.70 2.44 14.02 7.28 7.03
Difference 0.02 0.05 0.12 0.05 0.20 0.21 0.19 0.16 0.15
Inception Date 18 February 2015                  
SPDR MSCI Europe Value UCITS ETF -2.06 9.91 9.75 9.91 15.40 9.64 16.63 5.60 5.98
MSCI Europe Value Exposure Select Index4 -2.07 9.93 9.77 9.93 15.25 9.34 16.46 5.39 5.78
Difference 0.01 -0.02 -0.02 -0.02 0.15 0.30 0.17 0.21 0.20
Inception Date 18 February 2015                  
SPDR MSCI USA Small Cap Value Weighted UCITS ETF -5.65 -6.36 -6.86 -6.36 -0.92 4.27 22.08 7.74 7.76
MSCI USA Small Cap Value Weighted Index -5.68 -6.39 -6.87 -6.39 -0.92 4.28 22.26 7.91 7.92
Difference 0.03 0.03 0.01 0.03 0.00 -0.01 -0.18 -0.17 -0.16
Inception Date 18 February 2015                  
SPDR MSCI Europe Small Cap Value Weighted UCITS ETF -1.55 5.81 2.96 5.81 8.80 5.25 15.94 5.13 5.53
MSCI Europe Small Cap Value Weighted Index -1.54 5.84 2.97 5.84 8.49 5.00 16.09 5.21 5.61
Difference -0.01 -0.03 -0.01 -0.03 0.31 0.25 -0.15 -0.08 -0.08
Inception Date 25 November 2013                  
SPDR MSCI World Small Cap UCITS ETF -3.79 -3.79 -6.44 -3.79 -0.38 1.36 13.19 6.33 6.46
MSCI World Small Cap Index -3.77 -3.73 -6.22 -3.73 -0.26 1.55 13.45 6.55 6.63
Difference -0.02 -0.06 -0.22 -0.06 -0.12 -0.19 -0.26 -0.22 -0.17
Inception Date 01 July 2014                  
SPDR Russell 2000 US Small Cap UCITS ETF -6.82 -9.53 -9.26 -9.53 -4.32 0.06 12.85 5.90 6.06
Russell 2000 Index -6.86 -9.57 -9.35 -9.57 -4.37 0.11 12.85 5.88 5.90
Difference 0.04 0.04 0.09 0.04 0.05 -0.05 0.00 0.02 0.16
Inception Date 31 March 2005                  
SPDR MSCI Europe Small Cap UCITS ETF -3.20 1.23 -2.53 1.23 3.34 1.33 11.32 5.29 7.54
MSCI Europe Small Cap Index -3.18 1.32 -2.35 1.32 3.44 1.21 11.23 5.34 7.73
Difference -0.02 -0.09 -0.18 -0.09 -0.10 0.12 0.09 -0.05 -0.19
Inception Date 16 May 2011                  
SPDR MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap UCITS ETF -0.20 -5.54 -12.49 -5.54 -2.47 1.27 15.17 4.63 2.86
MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index -0.15 -5.49 -12.29 -5.49 -2.00 1.69 15.74 4.76 3.10
Difference -0.05 -0.05 -0.20 -0.05 -0.47 -0.42 -0.57 -0.13 -0.24

Source: State Street Global Advisors, as of 31 March 2025. The performance figures contained herein are calculated in base currency and provided on a net of fees basis and do reflect the deduction of advisory or other fees. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so you may have a gain or loss when shares are sold. Current performance may be higher or lower than that quoted. All results are historical and assume the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains. Visit www.ssga.com for most recent month-end performance. Index returns are unmanaged and do not reflect the deduction of any fees or expenses. Index returns reflect all items of income, gain and loss and the reinvestment of dividends and other income as applicable.

1 Index returns reflect the S&P Global Dividend Aristocrats Index prior to 31st January 2020, when the fund changed to tracking current benchmark.

2 Index returns reflect the S&P Emerging Markets Dividend Opportunities Index prior to 7th February 2020, when the fund changed to tracking current benchmark.

3 Index returns reflect the MSCI USA Value Weighted Index prior to 11th July 2018, when the fund changed to tracking current benchmark.

4 Index returns reflect the MSCI Europe Value Weighted Index prior to 11th July 2018, when the fund changed to tracking current benchmark.

Annual Performance (%)

Annual Performance

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