Compare/Updated Oct 26, 2026, refreshed every trading day
SPYM vs SPY
State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF against State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF: 4 years of returns, risk and today’s technical read, from Kavout’s own data.
SPYM did slightly better than SPY over the period: $1,000 invested on October 28, 2022 would be worth $2,064 versus $2,052, for total returns of 106.4% and 105.2%, respectively. SPYM also led over three months, six months, YTD, one year, and three years, while both ETFs returned -0.9% over one month. The difference matters mainly because SPYM charges a lower expense ratio, 0.02% versus 0.09%, while providing nearly identical exposure: daily-move correlation was 0.999 and its typical monthly advantage was 0.03 points. Risk was effectively the same, with 12-month volatility of 12.7% for both and worst drawdowns of -18.7% for SPYM versus -18.8% for SPY. SPY remains much larger, with $809B in assets versus $165B.
- Price is above its 200-day average ($85); 50-day at $90.
- RSI 42, neutral. Supertrend says sell. ADX 15, so the trend is weak.
- Price is above its 200-day average ($725); 50-day at $767.
- RSI 42, neutral. Supertrend says sell. ADX 14, so the trend is weak.
Head to head
Which has returned more, SPYM or SPY?
SPYM beat SPY in 25 of the last 48 months; SPY won the other 23. The typical monthly gap was 0.03 points.
Total return by period
Which is riskier?
Both: Feb 19, 2025 to Apr 8, 2025
- 0.999
- correlation of daily moves, 4 years
- 0.98
- SPYM move per 1% in SPY
- 0.999
- correlation, last 12 months
Month by month
Of the last 48 months. The typical gap was 0.03 points.
When did they diverge?
| Month | SPYM | SPY | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | +2.7% | +2.4% | +0.29 pts |
| November 2022 | +5.5% | +5.6% | -0.10 pts |
| December 2022 | -5.7% | -5.8% | +0.10 pts |
| July 2024 | +1.1% | +1.2% | -0.09 pts |
Where the numbers come from. 1000 daily adjusted closes per fund from the Kavout market-data API, dividends included. Signals and indicators are Kavout’s own, refreshed nightly. Every figure is calculated from those adjusted closes.
Holdings and fees
What do you actually own with SPYM and SPY?
Go deeper
Ask InvestGPT which one fits your portfolio.
Eight research agents read your holdings, the overlap and the tax side, then answer in plain words. Free accounts get one report a month.
More comparisons
Find another comparison.
Track both, get told when something changes.
Add SPYM and SPY to a watchlist and Kavout emails you when a signal flips or a price target is hit.
Free account, no card