# SDY ETF: fees, returns, drawdowns and holdings

> What SDY holds, its 0.35% yearly fee, returns by year, its worst drop, and which Tactfolio strategies hold it. Updated daily.

State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by SPDR (State Street). This fund owns US companies that have raised their dividends every year for at least 20 years in a row. It charges 0.35% a year. From November 2005 to October 2026 it returned about 8.9% a year, and its worst drop was −54.8%.

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: 0.35% a year (about $35 on $10,000).
- Started trading on November 8, 2005.
- Worst drop since 2005: −54.8%.
- No Tactfolio classic strategies hold it.

## What does SDY hold?

This fund owns US companies that have raised their dividends every year for at least 20 years in a row. It gives more weight to the ones that pay the most. Its value still rises and falls with the stock market.

It tracks the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index. It had 155 holdings as of October 15, 2026, according to SPDR (State Street).

| Fact | SDY |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF |
| Issuer | SPDR (State Street) |
| Expense ratio | 0.35% a year |
| Started trading | November 8, 2005 |
| Tracks | S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index |
| Type | US stocks, ETF |
| Holdings | 155 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-sp-dividend-etf-sdy) |

## What is the SDY expense ratio?

SDY charges 0.35% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.35% fee comes to about $35 a year.

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

## How has SDY done since 2005?

From November 2005 to October 2026, SDY returned about 8.9% a year. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $60,067 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

| Measure | SDY |
| --- | --- |
| Total return | 500.7% |
| Return per year (CAGR) | 8.9% |
| Worst drop from a high | −54.8% |
| Volatility (how much it swings) | 18.9% |
| Last 12 months | 15.0% |
| Last 3 years, per year | 13.5% |
| Last 5 years, per year | 7.7% |
| Last 10 years, per year | 9.7% |

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.

## SDY returns by year

| Year | SDY return |
| --- | --- |
| 2026 (part of the year) | 13.5% |
| 2025 | 8.2% |
| 2024 | 8.5% |
| 2023 | 2.6% |
| 2022 | −0.5% |
| 2021 | 24.6% |
| 2020 | 1.7% |
| 2019 | 23.3% |
| 2018 | −2.7% |
| 2017 | 15.8% |
| 2016 | 20.3% |
| 2015 | −0.8% |
| 2014 | 13.8% |
| 2013 | 30.1% |
| 2012 | 11.6% |
| 2011 | 7.1% |
| 2010 | 16.4% |
| 2009 | 19.2% |
| 2008 | −22.8% |
| 2007 | −6.7% |
| 2006 | 17.7% |
| 2005 (part of the year) | 1.1% |

## What was SDY's worst drop?

A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. SDY's worst fall was −54.8%, from June 1, 2007 to March 9, 2009. It got back to that high on April 28, 2011.

The chart shows how far below its last high the fund was on each day. Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.

## Which Tactfolio strategies hold SDY?

No classic strategy holds SDY 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 SDY compare with similar ETFs?

Funds that can stand in for SDY:

- [VYM](https://tactfolio.com/etf/vym.md): Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF, 0.04% a year
- [SCHD](https://tactfolio.com/etf/schd.md): Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF, 0.06% a year
- [SPYD](https://tactfolio.com/etf/spyd.md): State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF, 0.07% a year
- [HDV](https://tactfolio.com/etf/hdv.md): iShares Core High Dividend ETF, 0.08% a year

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

## Test SDY 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 SDY, 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 SDY. 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.

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 SDY?

SDY charges 0.35% a year, according to SPDR (State Street) as of October 17, 2026. That is about $35 a year for every $10,000 you hold.

### When did SDY start trading?

SDY started trading on November 8, 2005. It is run by SPDR (State Street).

### What does SDY track?

SDY tracks the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index. This fund owns US companies that have raised their dividends every year for at least 20 years in a row.

### How much has SDY returned per year?

From November 2005 to October 2026, SDY returned about 8.9% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −54.8%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.

### Which strategies use SDY?

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

## Sources

- [SPDR (State Street): State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF fund page](https://www.ssga.com/us/en/intermediary/etfs/state-street-spdr-sp-dividend-etf-sdy)

> 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.