Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
AIRR vs SPY: how they differ
Over the year SPY returned more, +17.5% against +15.0%, and SPY charges 0.09% against 0.69%.
First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF and SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, AIRR and SPY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | AIRR | SPY |
|---|---|---|
| COMFORT SYSTEMS USA INC | 4.42% | 0.11% |
| EMCOR GROUP INC | 3.75% | 0.06% |
| CH ROBINSON WORLDWIDE INC | 4.08% | 0.03% |
| HUNTINGTON INGALLS INDUSTRIES INC | 2.45% | 0.02% |
| Only in AIRR | Only in SPY |
|---|---|
| STERLING INFRASTRUCTURE INC 6.00% | NVIDIA Corp. 7.52% |
| ARGAN INC 4.73% | Apple, Inc. 6.59% |
| MASTEC INC 4.18% | Microsoft Corp. 4.30% |
| OWENS CORNING 3.90% | Amazon.com, Inc. 3.62% |
| DYCOM INDUSTRIES INC 3.76% | Alphabet, Inc. 3.25% |
| SAIA INC 3.54% | Broadcom, Inc. 2.77% |
| BWX TECHNOLOGIES INC 2.97% | Alphabet, Inc. 2.59% |
| POWELL INDUSTRIES INC 2.48% | Micron Technology, Inc. 2.02% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026.
| AIRR First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF | SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Thematic ETF | Core index fund |
| Issuer | First Trust | State Street |
| What it is | Reshoring and manufacturing | S&P 500, book from IVV |
| Total return, 1 year | +15.0% | +17.5% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −2.5 pts | 0.0 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.69% | 0.09% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 5.5% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 58 | 504 |
AIRR in plain words
By weight, 6% of AIRR's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 100%. The top ten holdings are 30% of the fund across 58 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 10, 2026. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 the fund returned +15.0% with distributions reinvested against +17.5% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 2.5 pts. It sits 19.5% below its all-time high of Jun 22, 2026.
SPY in plain words
SPY is an index equity fund tracking the S&P 500. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +17.5% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 504 positions, with the top ten at 36.4%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, AIRR or SPY?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AIRR returned +15.0% and SPY returned +17.5%, so SPY returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, AIRR or SPY?
- AIRR charges 0.69% a year and SPY charges 0.09%, so SPY is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do AIRR and SPY overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 6% of AIRR and 100% of SPY by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
- Are AIRR and SPY the same kind of fund?
- No. AIRR is a thematic ETF and SPY is an index ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, AIRR against SPY, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/AIRR-SPY Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources