CGUS vs SPY: Differences, Returns & Fees
CGUS and SPY hold 44% of their weight in the same names, and SPY returned +17.3% over the year. Net assets on Oct 8, 2026: $12.2bn for Capital Group Core Equity ETF and $817.2bn for SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust.
SPY costs 0.24 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.4 points; SPY is far larger, $817.2bn against $12.2bn.
| CGUS | SPY | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.33% | 0.09% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 8, 2026 | $12.2bn | $817.2bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +14.9% | +17.3% |
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | S&P 500 Index |
| Holdings in common | 44% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 43.1% | 39.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Oct 8, 2026.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, CGUS and SPY hold 44% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Oct 8, 2026.
half
44% in common
On the same fields
CGUS and SPY on the fields both publish, as of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About CGUS
CGUS is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +14.9% with distributions reinvested, against +17.3% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.33% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 86% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 66 positions, with the top ten at 43.1%.
About SPY
SPY tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +17.3% with distributions reinvested, against +17.3% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 8, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 504 positions, with the top ten at 39.1%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, CGUS or SPY?
- In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, CGUS returned +14.9% and SPY +17.3%.
- Which is cheaper, CGUS or SPY?
- SPY is cheaper, by 0.24 percentage points a year. That is about $24 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, CGUS against SPY, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cgus-vs-spy
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). CGUS against SPY. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cgus-vs-spy
[CGUS against SPY (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cgus-vs-spy)
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