DUTY vs SPY

DUTY vs SPY

Which is better, DUTY or SPY?

SPY costs less.

SPY has a lower expense ratio. SPY is less concentrated, with 38.0% of the fund in its ten largest positions against 59.3%.

Lower Fees: SPYLess Concentrated: SPY

MarketXLS is not an investment adviser. This comparison is generated automatically from market data and is for information only. A Best mark means the better reading on that one measure, not a recommendation to buy.

Side-by-Side Comparison

MetricDUTYSPY
Expense Ratio0.45%0.09%Best
AUM$3M$804.7B
Dividend Yield0.00%0.98%
Holdings52505
YTD Return+3.29%+11.52%Best
1Y Return-+17.48%
3Y Return (annualized)-+20.62%
5Y Return (annualized)-+12.73%
Top 10 Weight59.3%38.0%Best
Fund FamilyAura ETFs Inc.State Street Investment Management
CategoryEquityEquity
StyleLarge Cap BlendLarge Cap Blend
InceptionApr 8, 2026Jan 22, 1993

Not shown on this pair: Volatility (annualized), Max Drawdown, $10,000 over the window.

DUTY vs SPY growth

Month-end closes. Both lines start at 0% in the first month shown, so the gap between them is the difference in growth across that window. The full view is available from the range buttons; it is not the opening view here because over the whole period one of these two funds moves so much further than the other that its line would sit flat on the axis.

DUTY vs SPY Performance

US Defense ETF (DUTY) is an ETF from Aura ETFs Inc. and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) is an ETF from State Street Investment Management. Year to date, DUTY is up 3.29% versus a gain of 11.52% for SPY.

Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Fees and Cost Over Time

DUTY charges 0.45% per year while SPY charges 0.09%. On a $10,000 position that is $45 vs $9 annually, a gap of $36 per year that compounds over a long holding period. On income, DUTY currently yields 0.00% against 0.98% for SPY.

Holdings Overlap

DUTY already in SPY63.3%
SPY already in DUTY2.1%

63.3% of DUTY's money is in holdings SPY also owns. 2.1% of SPY's money is in holdings DUTY also owns.

The two portfolios partly overlap.

12 positions in common, counted across the 51 positions we hold weights for in DUTY and 504 in SPY, against full books of 52 and 505.

What only one of them owns

Our book lists 482 positions for SPY that do not appear in our book for DUTY (97.4% of the fund), and 35 for DUTY that do not appear in SPY (33.8%).

Some of those will be the same company recorded under a different code in one of the two books, so the real difference in what you would own is no larger than this and may be smaller. We do not name the individual positions here for that reason.

Top Shared Holdings

StockWeight in DUTYWeight in SPYDifference
PLTRPalantir Technologies Inc8.01%0.56%7.45%
LMTLockheed Martin Corp7.68%0.18%7.50%
GDGeneral Dynamics Corp.7.60%0.15%7.45%
NOCNorthrop Grumman Corp.6.75%0.11%6.64%
LHXL3Harris Technologies Inc.6.14%0.08%6.06%
PANWPalo Alto Networks Inc.5.06%0.45%4.61%
CRWDCrowdstrike Holdings Inc. Class A4.74%0.32%4.42%
FTNTFortinet Inc.4.65%0.16%4.49%
TDYTeledyne Technologies Inc4.08%0.05%4.03%
LDOSLeidos Holdings, Inc3.32%0.02%3.30%

63.3% of DUTY is already inside SPY.

You probably hold more than these two. Add the rest and see how much of the whole book is the same companies twice.

DUTYSPY

Free for up to 10 holdings. No account needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is cheaper, DUTY or SPY?

DUTY has an expense ratio of 0.45% while SPY charges 0.09%. SPY is the cheaper option, by $36 a year on a $10,000 investment.

What is the holdings overlap between DUTY and SPY?

63.3% of DUTY's money is in holdings SPY also owns. 2.1% of SPY's is in holdings DUTY also owns. They hold 12 positions in common, counted across the 51 positions we hold weights for in DUTY and 504 in SPY.

Which pays a higher dividend, DUTY or SPY?

DUTY yields 0.00% while SPY yields 0.98%, so SPY currently pays the higher dividend yield.

Is SPY better than DUTY?

SPY has a lower expense ratio. SPY is less concentrated, with 38.0% of the fund in its ten largest positions against 59.3%. Which one suits a particular account depends on what it is for. This is information, not a recommendation.