Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SPYD vs VEA: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SPYD returned +15.3% to VEA's +17.1%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $7.5bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF, and $231.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF.
Pair scorecard
VEA costs 0.04 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.8 points; VEA is far larger, $231.6bn against $7.1bn.
| Measure | SPYD | VEA |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +15.3% | +17.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.1%, high on Aug 24, 2026 | 4.4%, high on Aug 25, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | S&P 500 High Dividend Index | FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.07% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $7.1bn | $231.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 16.1% | 13.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Oct 30, 2015 to Oct 23, 2026 · 573 weekly returnsSPYD returned more: +168.7% to +150.8%. VEA swung less: 16.9% to 19.6%. VEA fell less at its worst: −34.6% to −43.0%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | SPYD | VEA | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +168.7% | +150.8% | SPYD | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.4% | +8.7% | SPYD (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +61.3% | +81.5% | VEA | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.6% | 16.9% | VEA | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.8% | 12.0% | VEA | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −43.0% | −34.6% | VEA | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.44 | 0.44 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.62 | 0.62 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.22 | 0.25 | VEA | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 573 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, SPYD and VEA hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
SPYD and VEA on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
SPYD and VEA do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. SPYD follows S&P 500 High Dividend Index and VEA follows FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- Number of holdings. SPYD holds 79 positions and VEA holds 3906.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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SPYD
SPYD tracks the S&P 500 High Dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +15.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 99% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 79 positions, with the top ten at 16.1%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Aug 24, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VEA
VEA tracks an index of Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.1% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3,906 positions, with the top ten at 13.6%. It sat 4.4% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, SPYD or VEA?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPYD returned +15.3% and VEA +17.1%.
- Which is cheaper, SPYD or VEA?
- VEA is cheaper, by 0.04 percentage points a year. That is about $4 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, SPYD against VEA, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spyd-vs-vea
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). SPYD against VEA. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spyd-vs-vea
[SPYD against VEA (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spyd-vs-vea)
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