Launched on 12/16/1998, the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Consumer Discretionary - Broad segment of the equity market.
An increasingly popular option among retail and institutional investors, passively managed ETFs offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; they are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.
Sector ETFs also provide investors access to a broad group of companies in particular sectors that offer low risk and diversified exposure. Consumer Discretionary - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 7, placing it in top 44%.
Index Details
The fund is sponsored by State Street Global Advisors. It has amassed assets over $23.98 billion, making it the largest ETF attempting to match the performance of the Consumer Discretionary - Broad segment of the equity market. XLY seeks to match the performance of the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Index before fees and expenses.
The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Index seeks to provide an effective representation of the consumer discretionary sector of the S&P 500 Index.
Costs
Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.09%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.70%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Consumer Discretionary sector--about 100% of the portfolio.
Looking at individual holdings, Amazon.com Inc (AMZN) accounts for about 20.72% of total assets, followed by Tesla Inc (TSLA) and Home Depot Inc (HD).
The top 10 holdings account for about 69.42% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF has gained about 2.94% so far, and was up about 33.51% over the last 12 months (as of 01/30/2025). XLY has traded between $169.76 and $239.43 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 1.21 and standard deviation of 24.86% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 52 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, XLY is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Consumer Discretionary ETFs segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
IShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Select Home Construction Index and the Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF (VCR) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Consumer Discretionary 25/50 Index. IShares U.S. Home Construction ETF has $2.87 billion in assets, Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF has $6.80 billion. ITB has an expense ratio of 0.39% and VCR charges 0.10%.
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.
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Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY): ETF Research Reports
Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report
The Home Depot, Inc. (HD) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB): ETF Research Reports
Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF (VCR): ETF Research Reports
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
