About the Author
Lyle Daly has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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Here are the fund's key facts (data is as of March 12, 2026):
Although other exchange-traded funds (ETFs) use the Dow in some form, this SPDR ETF is the only pure Dow tracker. The ETF holds all 30 Dow stocks in the same proportion as the index. When the Dow rises, the fund should follow, with only a slight lag related to fund expenses.
You can see this in the performance numbers. Since 1998, the fund has slightly underperformed the index. This difference is called "tracking error." In well-managed funds, the largest component of tracking error should be the fund's expense ratio.
The Dow is often quoted alongside the S&P 500, another large-cap index that is also investable via ETFs. The main difference between these indexes is that the Dow is more concentrated than the S&P 500 and weights its holdings differently.
Another factor to consider is the cost of investing in each index. The SPDR Dow fund has an expense ratio of 0.16%, but there are S&P 500 ETFs with expense ratios less than 0.10%. A lower expense ratio allows more of the underlying investment returns to flow through to your bottom line.
Here are the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust's holdings as of March 12, 2026:
The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average Trust may be a good choice if you're looking for an ETF with domestic large-cap stocks. The fund's holdings could balance a portfolio that already includes mid-caps and small-caps, as well as an allocation to foreign companies.
Here are the benefits of the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average Trust:
However, this Dow Jones ETF also has a few notable drawbacks:
Before investing in a Dow Jones ETF, consider whether it works well with your:
The Dow Jones ETF aims to replicate the performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, also known as DJIA or the Dow. The Dow includes 30 leading U.S. companies and is considered a primary benchmark of U.S. financial markets.
Currently, the only ETF option is the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA -1.03%). Let's explore the key characteristics of this ETF so you can decide if it's right for you.

| Name and ticker | Current price | Market cap | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) | $948.47 | $279.8 billion | Capital Markets |
| Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) | $888.31 | $409.2 billion | Machinery |
| Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) | $421.87 | $3.1 trillion | Software |
| Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) | $326.31 | $176.1 billion | Biotechnology |
| Home Depot (NYSE:HD) | $297.51 | $296.3 billion | Specialty Retail |
| McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) | $276.43 | $196.4 billion | Hotels, Restaurants and Leisure |
| Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) | $300.10 | $74.0 billion | Chemicals |
| Visa (NYSE:V) | $325.45 | $613.8 billion | Diversified Financial Services |
| American Express (NYSE:AXP) | $313.72 | $213.9 billion | Consumer Finance |
| Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) | $299.76 | $63.7 billion | Insurance |
| JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) | $297.95 | $798.0 billion | Banks |
| UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) | $393.85 | $357.7 billion | Healthcare Providers and Services |
| Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) | $300.24 | $4.4 trillion | Technology Hardware, Storage and Peripherals |
| International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) | $219.52 | $206.1 billion | IT Services |
| Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) | $226.71 | $545.7 billion | Pharmaceuticals |
| Honeywell International (NASDAQ:HON) | $213.24 | $135.1 billion | Industrial Conglomerates |
| Boeing (NYSE:BA) | $220.49 | $173.8 billion | Aerospace and Defense |
| Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) | $264.03 | $2.8 trillion | Multiline Retail |
| Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) | $173.76 | $141.9 billion | Software |
| Chevron (NYSE:CVX) | $191.10 | $380.6 billion | Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels |
| Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) | $225.32 | $5.5 trillion | Semiconductors and Semiconductor Equipment |
| 3M (NYSE:MMM) | $146.22 | $76.3 billion | Industrial Conglomerates |
| Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) | $141.57 | $329.7 billion | Household Products |
| Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) | $131.40 | $1.0 trillion | Food and Staples Retailing |
| Merck (NYSE:MRK) | $111.38 | $275.1 billion | Pharmaceuticals |
| Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) | $102.71 | $178.4 billion | Entertainment |
| Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) | $118.13 | $466.9 billion | Communications Equipment |
| Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) | $80.82 | $347.7 billion | Beverages |
| Nike (NYSE:NKE) | $41.88 | $62.0 billion | Textiles, Apparel and Luxury Goods |
| Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) | $46.37 | $193.6 billion | Diversified Telecommunication Services |