SPDR S&P 500 ESG ETF

EFIV

Market cap $1.16B

EFIV invests in S&P 500 stocks screened for ESG criteria, with a reasonable expense ratio of 0.10%, slightly higher than Vanguard ESG US Stock ETF. The ETF has outperformed the S&P 500 since its inception in 2020, driven by higher exposure to large-cap tech stocks like Microsoft, Apple, and Nvidia. EFIV's future performance will likely be comparable to the S&P 500, though it may underperform in a lower rate environment favoring smaller-cap tech stocks.

S&P 500 ETFs have done very well over the long term. But faster growth can be had with these two growth ETFs.

ESG investing continues to grow despite challenges in defining ESG-friendly companies. The SPDR S&P 500 ESG ETF tracks S&P 500 ESG Index, filtering out non-ESG-friendly companies. The fund provides broad market exposure with ESG tilt, but accuracy of ESG definition and potential underperformance are concerns.

The EFIV ETF has produced superior returns to the S&P 500 with a lower standard deviation since its inception, and is recommended as a buy for long-term investors. The source of outperformance is a quality screen that the S&P performs for a nominal fee. This screen reviews and ranks corporations on the basis of their ESG practices. Academic studies show that ESG practices lead to superior financial performance for individual companies for metrics such as ROA, ROE, and the performance of their equity.

Bull vs. Bear is a weekly feature where the VettaFi writers' room takes opposite sides to debate controversial stocks, strategies, or market ideas — with plenty of discussion of ETF ideas to play either angle. For this edition of Bull vs.