SDY Is a Popular Dividend ETF for Passive Income. But Is It the Best?
Investing in ETFs: Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) offer a flexible investment option that allows for real-time trading and often come with lower fees, making them an attractive alternative to traditional mutual funds. Dividend-focused ETFs, like the SPDR S&P Dividend ETF, can provide reliable income and long-term wealth growth through reinvested dividends.
Performance and Considerations: The SPDR S&P Dividend ETF has shown consistent performance over the years, focusing on companies that have increased their dividends for at least 20 consecutive years. While it offers solid returns, investors should also consider other dividend ETFs and the importance of dividend growth when selecting investments.
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Market Rally: The market rally is expanding beyond just tech stocks, indicating a broader recovery.
Dividend-Paying Stocks: Companies like Exxon Mobil, Walmart, Ford, and Coca-Cola are outperforming traditional tech favorites.
- Performance of Dog of the Dow: The ten highest-yielding stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average have seen an average increase of 17.8% in 2025 through December 26.
- Comparison with Dow 30: This performance surpasses the overall gain of 14.5% for the Dow 30 during the same period.
- Appeal for Dividend Investors: The strong performance of these stocks highlights the attractiveness of dividend investing this year.
- Market Trends: The trend indicates a favorable environment for dividend-focused investment strategies within the Dow.
- Performance of Dog of the Dow: The ten highest-yielding stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average have seen an average increase of 17.8% in 2025 as of December 26.
- Comparison with Dow 30: This performance surpasses the overall gain of 14.5% for the Dow 30 index during the same period.
- Focus on Dividend Investors: The year has been particularly favorable for dividend investors who focus on these high-yielding stocks.
- Market Trends: The trend indicates a strong preference for dividend-paying stocks among investors in the current market environment.
S&P 500 Buybacks Overview: In Q3 2025, S&P 500 share repurchases reached $249.0 billion, marking a 6.2% increase from Q2 2025 and a 9.9% rise from Q3 2024, with total buybacks surpassing $1 trillion for the second time in history.
Company Participation and Trends: A total of 333 companies reported buybacks of at least $5 million, a slight decrease from the previous quarter, while the top four companies (Apple, NVIDIA, Alphabet, and Meta) accounted for over 22% of the total buybacks.
Sector Spending Changes: Health Care and Financials saw significant increases in buyback spending, up 32.2% and 26.3% respectively, while Materials and Real Estate reduced their expenditures by 21.0% and 40.3%.
Dividends Update: S&P 500 dividends rose by 1.8% to $168.1 billion in Q3 2025, compared to $165.2 billion in Q2 2025, and were 7.0% higher than the $157.0 billion reported in Q3 2024.

AI vs. Value Stocks: Despite the hype around AI, value stocks like Dollar Tree and Dollar General have significantly outperformed major tech companies, indicating a shift in consumer behavior towards affordability amid economic pressures.
Consumer Trends: Dollar Tree and Dollar General reported increases in same-store sales, with a notable trend of wealthier consumers "trading down" to dollar stores, reflecting growing affordability concerns among various income groups.
Investment Strategies: In light of economic uncertainty, there is a growing interest in dividend-focused investments, as investors seek stable cash flow and predictable earnings from value stocks, particularly in sectors like consumer staples and utilities.
ETF Recommendations: Investors are encouraged to consider ETFs that include Dollar Tree and Dollar General, such as Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Consumer Staples ETF and Invesco S&P 500 Pure Value ETF, as well as other dividend-focused ETFs for potential steady income.

Total Return Focus: Investors should prioritize total return, which combines sustainable dividends and capital gains, rather than being lured by high dividend yields that may not provide long-term value.
Balanced Yield Strategy: Aiming for a yield around 8% to 10% is recommended, as it tends to be more sustainable and can deliver significant income while still allowing for capital appreciation.
Closed-End Funds (CEFs): The Liberty All-Star Equity Fund (USA) exemplifies a successful CEF strategy, offering a high yield while maintaining dividend growth and trading at a discount to its net asset value.
Investment Opportunities: The article suggests exploring four high-yielding CEFs that currently offer an average yield of 9.5%, emphasizing the potential for both income and capital gains through strategic buying and selling.







