# DIA ETF: fees, returns, drawdowns and holdings

> What DIA holds, its 0.16% yearly fee, returns by year, its worst drop, and which Tactfolio strategies hold it. Updated daily.

State Street SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by SPDR (State Street). This fund owns the 30 well known US companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It charges 0.16% a year. From January 1998 to October 2026 it returned about 9.0% a year, and its worst drop was −51.9%.

Written by [the Tactfolio research team](https://tactfolio.com/about/editorial-policy). Fund facts checked October 17, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.

## Key points

- Expense ratio: 0.16% a year (about $16 on $10,000).
- Started trading on January 14, 1998.
- Last close: $519.10 on October 16, 2026.
- Return over the last year: 14.6%.
- Worst drop since 1998: −51.9%.
- No Tactfolio classic strategies hold it.

## How has DIA done since 1998?

From January 1998 to October 2026, DIA returned about 9.0% a year. The S&P 500 returned about 9.3% a year over the same dates. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $119,764 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

| Period | DIA | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 month | 1.0% | 1.5% |
| 3 months | −0.7% | 1.9% |
| 6 months | 7.7% | 9.3% |
| Year to date | 9.2% | 12.8% |
| 1 year | 14.6% | 16.8% |
| 3 years, per year | 17.0% | 22.0% |
| 5 years, per year | 9.9% | 12.8% |
| 10 years, per year | 13.3% | 15.4% |
| Since 1998, per year | 9.0% | 9.3% |

Periods longer than a year show the return per year (CAGR). Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.

## DIA returns by month and year

DIA rose in 221 of its 346 months (64%). Its best month was October 2022, at 14.0%. Its worst was August 1998, at −15.2%.

| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Full year |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 (part) | 1.8% | 0.3% | −5.2% | 7.3% | 2.9% | 2.5% | 0.4% | 1.5% | −4.1% | 2.1% |  |  | 9.2% |
| 2025 | 4.7% | −1.4% | −4.0% | −3.2% | 4.1% | 4.5% | 0.2% | 3.4% | 2.0% | 2.6% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 14.7% |
| 2024 | 1.3% | 2.4% | 2.3% | −4.9% | 2.6% | 1.1% | 4.5% | 2.0% | 2.0% | −1.3% | 7.8% | −5.2% | 14.8% |
| 2023 | 2.9% | −4.0% | 2.1% | 2.6% | −3.2% | 4.6% | 3.5% | −2.0% | −3.4% | −1.3% | 9.2% | 4.9% | 16.0% |
| 2022 | −3.3% | −3.2% | 2.4% | −4.9% | 0.4% | −6.6% | 6.8% | −3.8% | −8.7% | 14.0% | 5.9% | −4.1% | −7.0% |
| 2021 | −1.9% | 3.4% | 6.9% | 2.7% | 2.2% | −0.1% | 1.4% | 1.5% | −4.2% | 5.9% | −3.5% | 5.5% | 20.8% |
| 2020 | −0.9% | −9.6% | −13.6% | 11.0% | 4.8% | 1.7% | 2.6% | 7.8% | −2.1% | −4.4% | 12.2% | 3.3% | 9.6% |
| 2019 | 7.3% | 4.0% | 0.1% | 2.6% | −6.4% | 7.4% | 1.1% | −1.4% | 2.2% | 0.5% | 4.1% | 1.8% | 25.0% |
| 2018 | 5.7% | −4.0% | −3.3% | 0.1% | 1.4% | −0.4% | 4.9% | 2.5% | 2.0% | −4.9% | 2.0% | −8.5% | −3.7% |
| 2017 | 0.5% | 5.1% | −0.6% | 1.4% | 0.7% | 1.7% | 2.7% | 0.6% | 2.2% | 4.5% | 4.2% | 2.1% | 28.1% |
| 2016 | −5.5% | 0.7% | 7.3% | 0.6% | 0.4% | 1.0% | 2.9% | 0.3% | −0.4% | −0.8% | 5.9% | 3.4% | 16.4% |
| 2015 | −3.5% | 6.0% | −1.8% | 0.4% | 1.3% | −2.1% | 0.6% | −6.2% | −1.4% | 8.6% | 0.7% | −1.6% | 0.1% |
| 2014 | −5.2% | 4.3% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 0.8% | −1.4% | 3.6% | −0.2% | 2.0% | 2.9% | 0.1% | 9.7% |
| 2013 | 6.1% | 1.6% | 3.8% | 2.0% | 2.4% | −1.5% | 4.4% | −4.3% | 2.3% | 3.0% | 3.7% | 3.2% | 29.6% |
| 2012 | 3.6% | 2.8% | 2.1% | 0.1% | −5.8% | 4.0% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 2.6% | −2.4% | −0.1% | 0.7% | 9.9% |
| 2011 | 2.7% | 3.2% | 0.9% | 4.2% | −1.7% | −1.2% | −2.1% | −3.9% | −5.9% | 9.7% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 8.1% |
| 2010 | −3.4% | 3.0% | 5.3% | 1.5% | −7.5% | −3.5% | 7.2% | −3.9% | 7.9% | 3.2% | −0.7% | 5.4% | 14.0% |
| 2009 | −8.3% | −11.2% | 7.4% | 7.9% | 4.9% | −0.5% | 8.4% | 4.0% | 2.3% | 0.1% | 7.1% | 0.9% | 22.7% |
| 2008 | −4.8% | −2.2% | −0.3% | 4.9% | −1.4% | −9.9% | 0.4% | 1.8% | −5.9% | −13.6% | −5.1% | −0.6% | −32.1% |
| 2007 | 1.5% | −2.7% | 1.0% | 5.8% | 4.6% | −1.4% | −1.4% | 1.1% | 4.3% | 0.1% | −3.2% | −1.0% | 8.8% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | 1.7% | 1.5% | 2.4% | −1.6% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1.9% | 2.8% | 3.5% | 1.6% | 2.0% | 18.9% |
| 2005 | −2.4% | 3.0% | −2.4% | −2.9% | 3.0% | −1.7% | 3.9% | −1.3% | 1.0% | −1.6% | 4.4% | −0.9% | 1.6% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | 1.2% | −1.9% | −1.5% | 0.1% | 2.5% | −2.7% | 0.4% | −0.9% | −0.4% | 4.5% | 3.2% | 5.0% |
| 2003 | −3.1% | −1.6% | 0.8% | 6.5% | 4.9% | 1.5% | 3.0% | 2.2% | −1.2% | 5.4% | 0.4% | 6.8% | 27.9% |
| 2002 | −0.5% | 2.0% | 2.7% | −4.0% | −0.1% | −6.6% | −5.7% | −0.6% | −11.9% | 10.3% | 6.4% | −5.8% | −14.7% |
| 2001 | 1.9% | −3.2% | −5.4% | 8.2% | 1.9% | −3.4% | −0.1% | −4.8% | −11.3% | 2.8% | 8.9% | 1.4% | −5.0% |
| 2000 | −4.9% | −7.1% | 7.9% | −1.7% | −1.9% | −0.8% | 0.7% | 7.2% | −5.1% | 2.7% | −4.5% | 2.4% | −6.0% |
| 1999 | 2.1% | −0.3% | 5.4% | 10.1% | −2.1% | 4.1% | −2.7% | 2.0% | −4.2% | 3.8% | 1.2% | 6.1% | 27.7% |
| 1998 (part) | 0.5% | 8.0% | 3.0% | 3.4% | −2.1% | 1.2% | −1.3% | −15.2% | 4.6% | 10.0% | 5.7% | 1.0% | 17.8% |

Each month runs from the last close of the month before. The first month counts from the first close.

## How risky is DIA compared with the S&P 500?

Measured from October 2021 to October 2026, on the days both traded.

- **Beta 0.79.** When the S&P 500 moved 1% in a day, DIA tended to move about 0.79%.
- **Correlation 0.91.** DIA mostly moved with the S&P 500.
- **Up and down months.** In months the S&P 500 rose, DIA rose 89% as much on average. In months it fell, DIA fell 96% as much.

| Measure | DIA | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Return per year | 10.0% | 12.8% |
| Volatility | 14.8% | 17.1% |
| Worst drop | −20.8% | −24.5% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.72 | 0.79 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.05 | 1.15 |
| Calmar ratio | 0.48 | 0.52 |

Volatility is how much the price swings in a year. The Sharpe ratio is return per unit of volatility, the Sortino ratio counts only the falls, and the Calmar ratio is the return per year over the worst drop. Higher ratios mean more return for the risk taken.

## Is DIA above its 200-day average?

DIA closed 3.5% above its 200-day average on October 16, 2026. A rule that holds DIA only above that average would hold it today.

- Its 50-day average is 4.4% above its 200-day average.
- It closed 4.0% below its highest close of the last 52 weeks.

A moving average is the average close over the last so many days. Trend rules such as [the 10-month moving average strategy](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/faber-10-month-moving-average.md) hold a fund only while it is above one. You can [build that rule for DIA](https://tactfolio.com/builder) and backtest it in a minute.

## What was DIA's worst drop?

A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. DIA's worst fall was −51.9%, from October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009. It got back to that high on January 19, 2012. On October 16, 2026 it was 4.0% below its highest close.

| Drop | Started | Bottom | Back to the high | Fall took | Recovery took |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −51.9% | Oct 9, 2007 | Mar 9, 2009 | Jan 19, 2012 | 17 months | 2.9 years |
| −36.7% | Feb 12, 2020 | Mar 23, 2020 | Nov 9, 2020 | 40 days | 8 months |
| −35.0% | Jan 14, 2000 | Oct 9, 2002 | Dec 21, 2004 | 2.7 years | 2.2 years |
| −20.8% | Jan 4, 2022 | Sep 30, 2022 | Nov 29, 2023 | 9 months | 14 months |
| −19.6% | Jul 17, 1998 | Aug 31, 1998 | Nov 23, 1998 | 1 months | 3 months |

Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.

## What does DIA hold?

This fund owns the 30 well known US companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The index gives more weight to stocks with higher share prices, not bigger companies. With only 30 stocks, it is less spread out than the S&P 500.

It tracks the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It had 30 holdings as of October 15, 2026, according to SPDR (State Street).

| Fact | DIA |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | State Street SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust |
| Issuer | SPDR (State Street) |
| Expense ratio | 0.16% a year |
| Started trading | January 14, 1998 |
| Tracks | Dow Jones Industrial Average |
| Type | US stocks, ETF |
| Holdings | 30 holdings as of October 15, 2026 |
| Facts checked | October 17, 2026 on the [SPDR (State Street) fund page](https://www.ssga.com/us/en/intermediary/etfs/state-street-spdr-dow-jones-industrial-average-etf-trust-dia) |

## What is the DIA expense ratio?

DIA charges 0.16% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.16% fee comes to about $16 a year. Of the 162 ETFs on Tactfolio, 41% charge more.

You never get a bill for it. The fund takes the fee out of its own value a little each day.

## Which Tactfolio strategies hold DIA?

No classic strategy holds DIA yet. You can add it to your own rules in the [builder](https://tactfolio.com/builder) and see how they would have done.

## How does DIA compare with similar ETFs?

Funds that can stand in for DIA:

- [SCHX](https://tactfolio.com/etf/SCHX.md): Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF, 0.03% a year
- [VV](https://tactfolio.com/etf/VV.md): Vanguard Morningstar Large-Cap ETF, 0.03% a year
- [IWB](https://tactfolio.com/etf/IWB.md): iShares Russell 1000 ETF, 0.15% a year
- [SPYM](https://tactfolio.com/etf/SPYM.md): State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF, 0.02% a year

See [all 8 DIA alternatives](https://tactfolio.com/alternatives/DIA.md), compared on the same dates as DIA.

## Test DIA in your own rules

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the [builder](https://tactfolio.com/builder), add DIA, and see how a rule such as "hold it only above its 200-day average" would have done. Strategies run on daily prices and hold US stocks and ETFs only.

## The details

Prices come from Tactfolio's stored daily prices for DIA and SPY. Each close is adjusted for splits, and dividends are reinvested on the day the fund pays them out. CAGR is the steady yearly return that turns the starting value into the ending value. Volatility is the yearly standard deviation of daily returns. Beta and correlation compare daily returns with the S&P 500 over the same dates.

Fund facts come from SPDR (State Street). We checked them on October 17, 2026. Read [what a backtest simulates](https://tactfolio.com/docs/backtests.md) and [how to read drawdown and CAGR](https://tactfolio.com/docs/concepts/reading-a-backtest.md) for more on these measures.

## Research and test it

- [S&P 500 index](https://tactfolio.com/learn/sp500-index): The S&P 500 tracks about 500 large US companies. Learn how stocks get in, how the index is weighted, how to invest in it, and how far it has fallen before.
- [What is an ETF](https://tactfolio.com/learn/what-is-an-etf): An ETF is a fund that trades like a stock. Learn how ETFs work, what they cost, the main types, and the risks, with SEC sources.
- [ETF screener](https://tactfolio.com/screener.md): A free ETF screener for 162 US-listed funds. Filter by type, issuer and fee, sort by returns or worst drop, and compare funds side by side.
- [ETF expense ratio](https://tactfolio.com/learn/etf-expense-ratio): What an ETF expense ratio is, how the fund charges it, and how 0.03% vs 1% adds up over 10 and 30 years, with real fund examples.
- [Backtest a portfolio](https://tactfolio.com/trading-tools/backtest-portfolio): Backtest a portfolio of US stocks and ETFs. Enter tickers and shares, pick when to rebalance, and get the results with a link to share.
- [Backtesting](https://tactfolio.com/backtesting): Free backtesting software for stocks, ETFs, and crypto perps.

## Common questions

### What is the expense ratio of DIA?

DIA charges 0.16% a year, according to SPDR (State Street) as of October 17, 2026. That is about $16 a year for every $10,000 you hold.

### When did DIA start trading?

DIA started trading on January 14, 1998. It is run by SPDR (State Street).

### What does DIA track?

DIA tracks the Dow Jones Industrial Average. This fund owns the 30 well known US companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

### How much has DIA returned per year?

From January 1998 to October 2026, DIA returned about 9.0% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −51.9%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.

### Is DIA above its 200-day moving average?

On October 16, 2026, DIA closed 3.5% above its 200-day moving average. This page updates after each US market close.

### Which strategies use DIA?

None of Tactfolio's classic strategies hold DIA yet. You can test it in your own rules in the builder.

## Sources

- [SPDR (State Street): State Street SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust fund page](https://www.ssga.com/us/en/intermediary/etfs/state-street-spdr-dow-jones-industrial-average-etf-trust-dia)

> Not financial advice. Tactfolio is a research and automation tool. It is not a broker or a financial adviser. This page is for education only. Backtests are hypothetical. They show how rules would have done on past prices, not how they will do. All investing involves risk, including losing the money you put in.