ETF Versus

JNK vs SPY

State Street SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF vs State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

Last updated: 2026-04-02

JNK State Street

State Street SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF (JNK) is an exchange-traded fund issued by State Street that provides exposure to below-investment-grade U.S. corporate bonds offering higher yields. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.40%. The fund offers a high dividend yield of 6.68%. Launched in 2007, the fund has a 19-year track record.

AUM: $7.0B ER: 0.40% Yield: 6.68% Since: Nov 28, 2007
SPY State Street

State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by State Street 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 1.13%. Launched in 1993, the fund has a 33-year track record.

AUM: $636.7B ER: 0.09% Yield: 1.13% Since: Jan 22, 1993

Quick Verdict

SPY is significantly cheaper at 0.09% vs 0.40% expense ratio, saving you approximately $607 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, SPY has significantly outperformed with a 16.8% return vs 0.5%. Income investors may prefer JNK for its higher yield (6.7% vs 1.1%).

Key Metrics

Metric JNK SPY
Expense Ratio 0.40% 0.09%
Dividend Yield 6.7% 1.1%
Fund Family State Street State Street
Category US High Yield Bond US Large Cap Blend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 99 118 137 156 175 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
JNK -12.2%
SPY +61.2%

Performance Comparison

Period JNK SPY Difference
1 Month -1.25% -4.54% +3.29%
3 Months -1.82% -4.09% +2.27%
6 Months -2.05% -2.09% +0.04%
YTD -1.82% -4.09% +2.27%
1 Year +0.47% +16.80% -16.33%
3 Years +3.45% +59.45% -56.00%
5 Years -12.20% +61.25% -73.45%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period JNK Fees SPY Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $786 $179 $607
$10.000 20 years $3.334 $771 $2.563
$10.000 30 years $10.601 $2.486 $8.115
$50.000 10 years $3.932 $896 $3.036
$50.000 30 years $53.003 $12.428 $40.575
$100.000 30 years $106.005 $24.855 $81.150

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric JNK SPY
Annualized Volatility 7.7% 17.1%
Max Drawdown -20.6% -25.4%
Sharpe Ratio -0.89 0.38

Dividend Comparison

Metric JNK SPY
Annual Dividend (per share) $6.38 $7.38
Dividend Yield 6.68% 1.13%
Distribution Frequency Monthly Quarterly

Top Holdings

SPY Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA7.58%
Apple Inc.AAPL6.66%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.91%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.64%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.62%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.40%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.24%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.87%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.57%

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.

Choose SPY if...

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

Choose JNK if...

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

Related Comparisons

AGG vs SPY ARKK vs SPY BND vs SPY BNDX vs SPY COWZ vs SPY EFA vs SPY GLD vs JNK GLD vs SPY