Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
CTA vs MDY: how they differ
CTA and MDY hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and CTA returned more over the year.
Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF and SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, CTA and MDY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in CTA | Only in MDY |
|---|---|
| SIMPLIFY EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 81.69% | TWILIO INC 0.86% |
| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 3.72% | CARPENTER TECHNOLOGY CORP 0.85% |
| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 3.44% | MKS INC 0.83% |
| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 2.76% | CURTISS-WRIGHT CORP 0.77% |
| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 2.75% | ENTEGRIS INC 0.76% |
| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 2.20% | NVENT ELECTRIC PLC 0.76% |
| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 1.37% | ATI INC 0.74% |
| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 1.07% | ILLUMINA INC 0.73% |
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.
| CTA Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF | MDY SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Simplify | State Street |
| What it is | Simplify Managed Futures Strategy | S&P MidCap 400, book from IJH |
| Total return, 1 year | +17.0% | +13.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −0.5 pts | −4.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.75% | 0.23% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Holdings | 10 | 400 |
CTA in plain words
CTA is an index equity fund tracking the Simplify Managed Futures Strategy. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +17.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.75% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 10 positions, with the top ten at 100.0%. It sat 5.3% below its high of May 4, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
MDY in plain words
MDY is an index equity fund tracking the S&P MidCap 400. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +13.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.23% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 400 positions, with the top ten at 7.7%. It sat 5.3% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, CTA or MDY?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, CTA returned +17.0% and MDY returned +13.0%, so CTA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, CTA or MDY?
- CTA charges 0.75% a year and MDY charges 0.23%, so MDY is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do CTA and MDY overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of CTA and 0% of MDY 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.
Other comparisons
Where to next
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, CTA against MDY, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/CTA-MDY Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources