MDY
SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust
Published by Radif Partners · Updated
Overview
SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust (MDY) tracks the S&P MidCap 400 index and holds its constituents directly, a physical replication managed by SPDR. Dividends are paid out to holders rather than reinvested, so MDY suits investors seeking regular income. The fund is domiciled in US, which determines the withholding tax treatment applied to its dividends. Annual charges come to 0.23% of assets, and the fund holds 25.2B under management. Over five years the fund returned 5.3% a year on average, against 14.7% over three years. It is not eligible for the French PEA, but can be held in a securities account, a UK ISA or a German Depot. Its risk level is rated medium. Launched on 1995-05-04, the fund is denominated in USD and has 31 years of track record. Because MDY distributes, every payment is taxable in the year it is received, against the dividend allowance in a general account, while it stays sheltered inside an ISA or a SIPP. Domicile in US sets the withholding the fund itself suffers on the dividends it receives, a cost absent from the stated fee but present in the return.
Ongoing charges of 0.23% place this fund 134th of 225 comparable funds, whose median is 0.19%. On £10,000 that costs about 23 a year and 230 over ten years at a constant amount, deducted daily and never visible on a statement: it shows up in the gap between the fund's return and its index's. At this level, neither low enough to be an argument nor high enough to be an obstacle, the decision rests elsewhere: on the index tracked, on the distribution policy, and on what your broker charges to buy.
Replication is physical: the fund actually holds the constituents of S&P MidCap 400, which makes its contents verifiable line by line in the issuer's report. Two points deserve attention. Securities lending first, practised by most physical funds to reduce costs: it earns a few hundredths of a point and creates an exposure to the borrower, covered by collateral, with the annual report stating the proportion lent. Rebalancing second: every change in the index's composition forces the fund to buy and sell, and those internal costs are not in the 0.23% headline. That is why two funds at the same price do not track their index with the same fidelity.
The fund is domiciled in the United States, and for a European investor that is the point to settle before any other. A US fund is outside UCITS regulation: most European brokers cannot offer it to a retail client for want of a key information document, so access depends on the investor's status. Two tax consequences follow as well: dividends paid to a non-resident bear US withholding, reduced by treaty where a W-8BEN is in place, and US securities held directly fall within US estate tax above a threshold that is low for a non-resident. An Irish-domiciled equivalent avoids both questions.
Income is distributed: the fund pays out the dividends it receives, usually one to four times a year. For a holder living off the portfolio that is what is wanted, since the income arrives without selling. For someone still accumulating it is a tax disadvantage in a taxable account: each payment is taxed in the year received, so the amount reinvested is reduced before it starts working again. Reinvesting by hand also costs a dealing commission each time and often leaves cash idle for want of the price of a whole unit. An accumulating class on the same index, where one exists, settles the question.
With 25.2 billion in assets and 31 years of history, this fund has the size and the record that make closure unlikely and the spread narrow. Three checks remain, once a year, none of which depends on the market. The ongoing charge, which an issuer revises without notice and whose gap to a competitor can invert. The tracking difference, the only figure that says whether replication stays faithful. And the methodology of S&P MidCap 400, which can change its selection or weighting rules without the fund's name moving, in which case what you hold has changed with nothing to announce it.
S&P MidCap 400 is a broad index, and that is the building block most portfolios have reason to own before any other, for a simple reason: it requires no forecast. Two points deserve checking before calling it diversified. Cap weighting concentrates the portfolio on the largest companies, so the top ten holdings can make up a substantial share, and that concentration grows without any rule changing. And the geographic scope matters: a developed-world index leaves out emerging markets, while a broad US index is not global exposure despite the international revenue of the companies it holds.
Over one year the fund shows 9.5% and over five years 5.3% annualised, two figures close together, which is the most ordinary and least informative configuration: it does not say the fund is steady, only that the chosen start and end points resemble each other. Comparing these figures with another fund means something only if the index is the same; otherwise it is an index comparison dressed as a fund comparison.
0.23%
25.2B
25,219M USDMedium
565
Physical
Distributing
USD
US
S&P MidCap 400
SPDR
1995-05-04 (31 years)
Contextual Analysis
Fund Size
With 25.2B in assets, this is a large fund, good liquidity and tight spreads.
Fee Positioning
A TER of 0.23% is in line with the market average (~0.35%).
Track Record
Launched in 1995-05-04, this fund has 31 years of history, long and reliable track record.
Risk Profile
Medium risk, good risk/return balance for a 5+ year horizon.
Performance
Returns Summary
| Period | Ann. Return | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Month (est.) | – | +0.8% |
| 3 Months (est.) | – | +2.3% |
| 6 Months (est.) | – | +4.7% |
| YTD (est.) | – | +3.9% |
| 1 Year | +9.5% | +9.5% |
| 3 Years | +14.7% | +50.9% |
| 5 Years | +5.3% | +29.5% |
| Since inception (31y) | +9.8% | +1739.9% |
Key Facts
Fund Profile
Themes & Zones
Holdings
Risk
How to Buy This ETF
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About this ETF
The SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust tracks the S&P MidCap 400 index. It is managed by SPDR using physical replication and follows a distributing distribution policy. The fund is denominated in USD and domiciled in US. It has a total expense ratio (TER) of 0.23%.
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Frequently asked questions
What do MDY's 0.23% charges actually cost?
They are taken from the fund's value continuously and never billed separately: on £1,000 invested that is about £2.30 a year and roughly £23 over ten years at a constant amount. That is the only cost of the fund itself. Your broker's commission and the spread between buying and selling price come on top, and they weigh most on small frequent purchases.
How do you buy MDY, and on which venue?
Through any broker that lists ISIN US78467Y1073. The same strategy often exists in several share classes with different fees and distribution policies, and what counts is the class you buy rather than the one you read about: check the ISIN, not the name. A limit order avoids paying the spread of a thin order book, particularly outside the trading hours of the underlying markets.
Is MDY genuinely diversified?
Less so than the number of holdings suggests. S&P MidCap 400 weights its constituents by market capitalisation, so the largest companies make up a share of the fund far above their number, and that concentration deepens without any rule changing. The useful check is the weight of the top ten holdings, published monthly by SPDR: that figure says how many companies the outcome actually depends on.
What should you re-check on MDY once a year?
Three things, none of which depends on the market. The ongoing charge, which an issuer revises without notice and whose gap to a competitor can invert. The tracking difference, the only figure that says whether replication stays faithful. And the methodology of S&P MidCap 400, which can change its selection or weighting rules without the fund's name moving: in that case what you hold has changed with nothing to announce it.
Does MDY lend out the securities it holds?
Probably in part: most physical funds lend securities to reduce their costs, and SPDR publishes the proportion in the annual report. Lending income is worth a few hundredths of a point, shared between the fund and the issuer. The risk is the borrower's, covered by collateral worth more than the amount lent, and it appears in the prospectus rather than in the stated fee.
This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Displayed performance is simulated.