SectorSurfer Logo

Is your portfolio prepared for the next market shift? SectorSurfer's award-winning algorithms help investors achieve higher returns with lower risk through automated sector rotation and StormGuard protection.

Learn how our proprietary technology identifies momentum leaders in any market condition, automatically shifting to defensive positions during downturns.

Start Your Free Trial

#InvestingStrategy #SectorRotation #PortfolioManagement #WealthBuilding

SectorSurfer Dashboard

Higher Returns with Lower Risk: The SectorSurfer Advantage

XSW SPDR S&P Software & Services ETF

Category: Technology Equities

Inception: 2011-09-28 Issuer: State Street
Net Assets
$457.8M
Expense Ratio
0.35 %
# of Holdings
142
Average Daily Volume
48.8K

Fund Overview

The SPDR S&P Software & Services ETF (XSW) is an exchange-traded fund that seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the performance of the S&P Software & Services Select Industry Index. This ETF offers exposure to the software and IT services sector, focusing on companies involved in software development, IT consulting, and related services. XSW is designed for investors seeking targeted exposure to this high-growth segment of the technology sector. The fund is rebalanced quarterly to maintain its target allocations and ensure it accurately reflects the performance of its underlying index.
Asset Class
Equity
Industry
Software
Annual Dividend Rate
Smart Beta
No
Leveraged / Inverse
N/A / No
Dividend Quality - Yield
 - 0.14 %
Currency Hedged
No
Portfolio Turnover
41 %
Dividend Date

Our Sector Rotation Algorithm Makes the Difference

SectorSurfer pairs the power of a true sector rotation algorithm to own momentum leaders in Bull Markets with a defensive algorithm that invokes a Bear Market strategy to protect and grow your assets during downturns.

Boost returns by holding only momentum leaders

Choose from hundreds of ready-to-use strategies

Create custom strategies that fit your needs

Automatic trade signals with email alerts

Market Cycle and Economic cycle chart

Why Invest in the XSW ETF?

Potential Benefits

  • Provides targeted exposure to the fast-growing software and IT services sector.
  • Diversified holdings across various sub-sectors within software and services.
  • Quarterly rebalancing helps maintain accurate sector representation.
  • Competitive expense ratio compared to actively managed sector funds.
  • Liquidity benefits of an ETF structure for easy trading.

Potential Risks

  • Concentration risk in the technology sector makes it vulnerable to sector-wide downturns.
  • Performance can be volatile due to the high-growth nature of software companies.
  • Smaller companies in the index may have higher business risk than large-cap tech firms.
  • Currency fluctuations may impact international holdings.
  • Regulatory changes in the tech sector could negatively affect performance.

Performance

1 Week 1 Month 1 Year 3 Years 5 Years YTD 2025 2024 Since Inception
+13.02% +1.47% +2.21% +25.39% -5.24% -16.37% -1.16% +29.32% +583.93%

Performance


Monthly Returns (%)

Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2026 -10.7% -10.0% -5.5% +8.0% - - - - - - - -
2025 +2.9% -9.4% -9.2% +2.0% +9.9% +6.0% -1.5% +2.1% +3.7% +0.4% -6.1% +0.4%
2024 -1.7% +4.7% +0.8% -7.0% +0.2% +4.0% +3.5% +0.5% +2.2% +3.3% +17.5% -3.1%
2023 +12.0% -1.2% +2.3% -5.3% +9.7% +4.4% +6.6% -5.3% -5.8% -5.7% +14.0% +10.2%
2022 -9.9% -3.1% +2.1% -11.5% -6.4% -9.1% +8.7% -2.5% -9.0% +7.2% -2.0% -3.3%
2021 +0.2% +4.0% -1.9% +3.5% -1.5% +6.8% 0.0% +4.1% -3.7% +5.6% -8.5% -0.3%
2020 +3.5% -5.8% -16.7% +15.4% +12.9% +4.3% +4.3% +7.0% -4.1% -1.1% +18.4% +10.4%
2019 +14.0% +8.8% +2.1% +4.4% -6.2% +4.1% +3.0% -2.8% -3.0% +2.5% +7.4% -1.1%
2018 +7.3% +1.6% -0.1% +2.4% +4.4% +0.2% +1.2% +11.3% -0.6% -11.2% +0.7% -7.8%
2017 +2.9% +3.6% +1.4% +1.0% +4.9% +0.6% +2.1% +1.0% +1.5% +4.7% +1.4% -0.2%
< -5% -5% to -2% -2% to 0% 0% 0% to +2% +2% to +5% > +5%

Top Holdings (by weight)

Symbol Company Name Weight
QUBT QUANTUM COMPUTING INC 1.0 %
NN NEXTNAV INC 0.9 %
QBTS D-WAVE QUANTUM INC 0.9 %
VERX VERTEX INC CLASS A 0.9 %
ASAN ASANA INC ORDINARY SHARES CLASS A 0.9 %
DBX DROPBOX INC CLASS A 0.8 %
PRGS PROGRESS SOFTWARE CORP 0.8 %
SWI SOLARWINDS CORP ORDINARY SHARES 0.8 %
APPF APPFOLIO INC CLASS A 0.8 %
QXO QXO INC 0.8 %
Top 10 holdings shown, out of 142 total holdings.

Related ETFs: XSW vs Peers

ETF Full Name Expense Ratio Net Assets Holdings Asset Class
ARKW ARK Next Generation Internet ETF 0.82 % $1.5B 40 Equity
FDN First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund 0.51 % $6.3B 42 Equity
IGV iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF 0.41 % $9.9B 117 Equity
SKYY First Trust Cloud Computing ETF 0.60 % $3.1B 62 Equity
SOXX iShares Semiconductor ETF 0.35 % $10.8B 31 Equity
VGT Vanguard Information Technology ETF 0.09 % $88.2B 315 Equity
WCLD WisdomTree Cloud Computing Fund 0.45 % $395.3M 69 Equity
XITK SPDR FactSet Innovative Technology ETF 0.45 % $88M 99 Equity
XLK Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund 0.08 % $64.2B 71 Equity
Comparison highlights key differences on cost, coverage, and focus within sector ETFs.

Investment Strategy

XSW tracks the S&P Software & Services Select Industry Index, which follows a modified equal-weight methodology. This approach provides balanced exposure across companies in the index rather than concentrating on the largest players. The fund primarily holds common stocks of U.S. software and IT services companies, with quarterly rebalancing to maintain target weightings. The index methodology screens for liquidity and market capitalization to ensure investability while representing the software and services sector.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of companies does XSW invest in?

XSW invests in companies engaged in software development, IT services, and related technology services, including enterprise software, cloud computing, and cybersecurity firms.

How often is XSW rebalanced?

XSW is rebalanced quarterly to maintain its target allocations and ensure it accurately tracks its underlying index.

Is XSW a good way to invest in cloud computing?

While XSW includes some cloud computing companies, it provides broader exposure to the software and IT services sector rather than focusing specifically on cloud computing like some specialized ETFs.

How does XSW's performance compare to the broader technology sector?

XSW may outperform broader tech ETFs during periods when software companies are leading the sector, but may underperform when hardware or semiconductor stocks are driving tech sector growth.

Industry Overview

The SPDR S&P Software & Services ETF (XSW) provides exposure to the dynamic software and IT services industry, which has become increasingly critical across all sectors of the economy. This industry includes companies developing enterprise software, cloud computing solutions, cybersecurity platforms, and IT consulting services. The software sector has shown consistent growth driven by digital transformation trends, cloud adoption, and increasing enterprise technology budgets. XSW offers investors a way to participate in this growth through a diversified basket of software and services companies.

Alternative Comparison

Compared to broader tech ETFs like XLK or VGT, XSW offers more concentrated exposure specifically to software and services companies. Unlike IGV, which follows a market-cap weighted approach focused on larger software firms, XSW's equal-weight methodology provides better exposure to mid-cap growth companies in the sector. While WCLD focuses specifically on cloud computing, XSW offers broader exposure to both traditional and cloud-based software companies along with IT services providers.

Issuer Overview

XSW is issued by State Street Global Advisors (SSGA), one of the largest ETF providers globally. SSGA is known for its SPDR ETF family and has extensive experience in index-based investing. The firm manages over $3 trillion in assets and is recognized for its expertise in sector-specific ETFs and innovative investment solutions.

Conclusion

XSW provides investors with targeted exposure to the software and IT services sector through a cost-effective, transparent ETF structure. Its equal-weight approach offers balanced exposure across companies of various sizes in this high-growth industry. While offering growth potential, investors should be aware of the inherent volatility and sector concentration risks. XSW may serve as a strategic allocation within a diversified technology sector portfolio.

Boost Your Returns with SectorSurfer

Award-winning investment strategy automation

SectorSurfer Logo
ETF Profile for . Data intended for informational purposes only. © 2026