ETF Versus

SPDW vs SPYD

State Street SPDR Portfolio Developed World ex-US ETF vs State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

SPDW SPDR

State Street SPDR Portfolio Developed World ex-US ETF (SPDW) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to equities in developed international markets outside the U.S.. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.04%. Launched in 2007, the fund has a 19-year track record.

AUM: $38.2B ER: 0.03% Yield: 3.04% Since: Apr 20, 2007
SPYD SPDR

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF (SPYD) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to U.S. dividend-paying stocks selected for yield or dividend growth. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.07%. The fund offers a high dividend yield of 4.33%. Launched in 2015, the fund has a 11-year track record.

AUM: $7.1B ER: 0.07% Yield: 4.33% Since: Oct 21, 2015

Quick Verdict

SPDW has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.07%), saving about $80 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, SPDW has significantly outperformed with a 39.9% return vs 15.3%. Income investors may prefer SPYD for its higher yield (4.3% vs 3.0%).

Key Metrics

Metric SPDW SPYD
Expense Ratio 0.03% 0.07%
Dividend Yield 3.0% 4.3%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category International Developed US Dividend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

70 84 98 112 126 140 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
SPDW +33.0%
SPYD +17.3%

Performance Comparison

Period SPDW SPYD Difference
1 Month +2.75% -0.44% +3.19%
3 Months +4.27% +3.93% +0.34%
6 Months +12.72% +6.95% +5.77%
YTD +7.12% +5.33% +1.79%
1 Year +39.87% +15.30% +24.57%
3 Years +48.69% +19.97% +28.72%
5 Years +32.96% +17.27% +15.69%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period SPDW Fees SPYD Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $60 $140 $80
$10,000 20 years $258 $600 $342
$10,000 30 years $835 $1,938 $1,103
$50,000 10 years $299 $698 $398
$50,000 30 years $4,176 $9,692 $5,516
$100,000 30 years $8,352 $19,383 $11,032

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric SPDW SPYD
Annualized Volatility 16.4% 16.5%
Max Drawdown -33.0% -27.4%
Sharpe Ratio 0.16 0.00

Dividend Comparison

Metric SPDW SPYD
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.47 $1.99
Dividend Yield 3.05% 4.33%
Distribution Frequency Semi-Annual or Annual Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 10 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

SPDW Top Holdings

NameWeight
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.!lon/SMSN2.13%
ASML Holding N.V.!ams/ASML1.71%
SK hynix Inc.!krx/0006601.19%
AstraZeneca PLC!lon/AZN0.99%
HSBC Holdings plc!lon/HSBA0.97%
Novartis AG!swx/NOVN0.93%
Roche Holding AG!swx/ROP0.87%
Shell plc!lon/SHEL0.83%
Nestlé S.A.!swx/NESN0.81%
Toyota Motor Corporation!tyo/72030.81%

SPYD Top Holdings

NameWeight
APA CorporationAPA1.78%
LyondellBasell Industries N.V.LYB1.75%
Dow Inc.DOW1.69%
EOG Resources, Inc.EOG1.57%
Edison InternationalEIX1.50%
Verizon Communications Inc.VZ1.49%
Phillips 66PSX1.45%
AT&T Inc.T1.42%
Target CorporationTGT1.42%
Chevron CorporationCVX1.41%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose SPDW if...

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

Choose SPDW if...

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

Choose SPYD if...

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

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