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Investment Capabilities

SPDR Sector ETFs

SPDR offers a wide range of UCITS-compliance sector ETFs covering World, US and Europe exposures. With more than $260 billion in sector ETF AUM, SPDR is a global leader in sector investing.

Quarterly Sector & Equity Compass

More Sectors Insights

Q1 Sector Picks

Our Quarterly Sector Picks

To activate our quarterly picks, visit the relevant fund pages.

Sector Momentum Map

Getting Active with Sectors

Harness the Power of Sector ETFs

What’s the role of sector indices in risk, pricing and active returns? S&P DJI’s Tim Edwards joins Rebecca Chesworth of SPDR ETFs to explore how and why some investors are getting active with sectors.

Around half of variation in stock returns can be attributed to sector trends.

Tim Edwards, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Sector Effects in the S&P 500®, March 2019.

The Basics of Sector Investing

Selective Market Exposure

Sectors allow targeted exposure to capture opportunities in market (be it sentiment, macro factors, themes, style). Across a fund range there is also the ability to play different parts of the business cycle in different regions, e.g. US vs. Europe.

Dispersion Between Sector Returns

Dispersion of returns is a defining characteristic of sector investing. As different sectors have different drivers, their returns will diverge over a given period. According to S&P, the dispersion between sector returns accounts for roughly half of the dispersion between stock returns. This implies that half of the value added from picking stocks could be achieved with selecting the right sectors.

Risk Management

Diversification of risk1 Sector investment offers a lower concentration risk than individual stocks and helps avoid idiosyncratic risk associated with individual stocks.

Varied correlations between sectors Each sector has a different correlation with the overall market. Taking advantage of these differences could reduce risk in a portfolio.

Idea Implementation

Because sectors comprise companies with the same economic activities, there are often style characteristics in common. This knowledge can be utilised to implement an investment view, particularly related to macroeconomic factors.

Implementing Sector Investing

Harnessing the Power of Sector Investing Through ETFs

Investing in sectors can align portfolios with broader market trends, giving exposure to specific factors and styles.

Sectors are particularly well suited to target certain economic variables and, when accessed through ETFs, investors can implement macroeconomic views simply and cost-effectively.2

  • Sectors offer a selective exposure with opportunities to potentially benefit from significant return dispersion
  • Investing in sectors can provide a better means of capturing thematic trends than individual stocks
  • ETFs are attractive tools for implementing economic and broader market views

More Information