Core Insights - The article emphasizes the importance of dividends as a critical indicator of investment value, highlighting that retail investors often focus on short-term market fluctuations rather than long-term returns driven by dividends [1][2]. Dividend Contribution to Returns - Over the past century, dividends have accounted for 31% of the total return of the S&P 500 on a pro-forma basis, with certain decades, such as the 1940s and 1970s, seeing dividends contribute over 50% of returns [2]. - Including dividends, the S&P 500's return from January 1930 to February 2025 would be 9,584 points, compared to just 278 points without dividends, illustrating the exponential impact of compounding [3]. Investment Vehicles - Several exchange-traded funds (ETFs) provide access to high-dividend stocks, allowing investors to benefit from dividend payouts without needing to identify individual stocks [3]. - A list of six ETFs is provided, each offering a combination of attractive price-to-earnings ratios and a strong dividend payout record, with one ETF focusing solely on dividend aristocrats [4]. ETF Details - **iShares Select Dividend ETF (DVY)**: P/E ratio of 15.23, $20 billion in assets, 100 US stocks with five-year dividend records, expense ratio of 0.38% [5]. - **Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD)**: P/E ratio of 16.7, $69.7 billion in assets, tracks the Dow Jones 100 Dividend Index, expense ratio of 0.06% [5]. - **Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM)**: P/E ratio of 19.8, $81.2 billion in assets, tracks the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index, expense ratio of 0.06% [5]. - **State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY)**: P/E ratio of 17.7, $19.5 billion in assets, corresponds to the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index, expense ratio of 0.35% [5]. - **iShares Core High Dividend ETF (HDV)**: P/E ratio of 20.7, $11.6 billion in assets, focuses on 75 dividend-paying domestic stocks, expense ratio of 0.08% [5]. - **ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL)**: P/E ratio of 21.3, $11.4 billion in assets, exclusively focuses on S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, expense ratio of 0.35% [5].

Core Insights - The U.S. ETF industry is experiencing rapid growth, with net inflows in 2025 surpassing the previous record of $1.2 trillion set in 2024, indicating a shift towards price-based segments with distinct product offerings and market leaders [1] Low-Cost Segment - The low-cost segment, defined as ETFs with net expense ratios of 0.25% and below, accounted for 79% of the U.S. ETF market by assets as of November 7, 2025, with the "Big 3" (Vanguard, BlackRock, State Street) holding an 82% combined market share [2] - Traditional beta ETFs, which provide market-cap weighted indexed exposure, make up 88% of the low-cost segment, with an asset-weighted fee of only 0.09% [3] - State Street announced a ticker change and fee cut for the SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPYM) on October 31, 2025, while Vanguard reduced expense ratios for 53 ETFs in February 2025 [3] Medium-Cost Segment - Active ETFs are increasingly displacing smart beta ETFs in the medium-cost segment (net expense ratios between 0.26% and 0.75%), highlighting a growing demand for active strategies [4] - BlackRock and State Street dominate this segment, but firms like Capital Group and JP Morgan are rapidly gaining market share with their active management strategies [5] - Actively managed dividend ETFs have seen significant inflows, contrasting with outflows from indexed dividend ETFs like SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY) and iShares Select Dividend ETF (DVY) [6] High-Cost Segment - The high-cost segment is led by leveraged and buffer ETFs, with major players including ProShares, Direxion, and Innovator Management [7] - Leveraged and inverse ETFs account for nearly one-third of all high-cost ETFs by assets, while buffer ETFs have consistently attracted over $10 billion in net inflows annually since 2022 [9] Future Outlook - Over 40% of new ETFs launched in the U.S. in 2025 were in the high-price segment, including single-stock ETFs, although their success rate is generally low [11] - Vanguard and BlackRock may expand their presence in active ETFs, which could lead to fee compression in the medium-cost segment, benefiting investors with lower costs and more product options [10]

Core Viewpoint - The iShares Select Dividend ETF (DVY) is a large-cap value ETF that aims to provide broad exposure to the U.S. equity market, with significant assets under management and a focus on dividend-paying stocks [1][7]. Group 1: Fund Overview - Launched on November 3, 2003, DVY is designed to match the Large Cap Value segment of the U.S. equity market and is sponsored by Blackrock [1]. - The fund has amassed over $20.75 billion in assets, making it one of the largest ETFs in its category [1]. Group 2: Investment Characteristics - Large-cap companies typically have market capitalizations above $10 billion and are characterized by stability and predictable cash flows [2]. - Value stocks, which DVY focuses on, generally have lower price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, and while they have lower sales and earnings growth rates, they have historically outperformed growth stocks in most markets [3]. Group 3: Costs and Performance - The annual operating expenses for DVY are 0.38%, which is competitive within its peer group, and it has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 3.63% [4]. - As of September 2, 2025, DVY has gained approximately 9.79% year-to-date and 9.65% over the past year, with a trading range of $118.37 to $143.41 in the last 52 weeks [8]. Group 4: Sector Exposure and Holdings - DVY has a significant allocation to the Financials sector, comprising about 26.5% of the portfolio, followed by Utilities and Consumer Staples [5]. - The top 10 holdings account for approximately 19.18% of total assets, with Altria Group Inc, Ford Motor Co, and Verizon Communications Inc being notable individual holdings [6]. Group 5: Alternatives and Market Position - DVY carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), indicating a reasonable option for investors seeking exposure to the Large Cap Value area [9]. - Other comparable ETFs include Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) and Vanguard Value ETF (VTV), which have larger asset bases and lower expense ratios [10]. Group 6: Conclusion - Passively managed ETFs like DVY are favored by both institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency [11].

Core Insights - The iShares Select Dividend ETF (DVY) is a smart beta ETF that provides broad exposure to the Large Cap Value category, managed by Blackrock with over $20.7 billion in assets [1][5]. Fund Overview - DVY aims to match the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index, which includes companies with consistently high dividend yields [5]. - The ETF has an annual operating expense ratio of 0.38% and a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 3.65% [6]. Sector Exposure and Holdings - The Financials sector constitutes approximately 26.1% of DVY's portfolio, followed by Utilities and Consumer Staples [7]. - Altria Group Inc accounts for about 2.46% of the fund's total assets, with the top 10 holdings making up around 18.88% of total assets [8]. Performance Metrics - As of August 26, 2025, DVY has gained about 9.28% year-to-date and approximately 10.64% over the past year, with a trading range between $118.37 and $143.41 in the last 52 weeks [10]. - The fund has a beta of 0.76 and a standard deviation of 15.69% over the trailing three-year period, indicating medium risk [10]. Alternatives - Other ETFs in the Large Cap Value space include Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) and Vanguard Value ETF (VTV), with SCHD having $72.08 billion in assets and an expense ratio of 0.06%, while VTV has $143.1 billion and an expense ratio of 0.04% [12].

Economic Growth - The U.S. economy rebounded strongly in Q2 2025 with GDP growing at an annualized rate of 3%, surpassing the forecast of 2.6% by Bloomberg economists [1] - This rebound followed a contraction of 0.5% in Q1, primarily due to a surge in imports ahead of tariff measures, which negatively impacted GDP calculations [2] Underlying Economic Indicators - Sales to private domestic purchasers increased by only 1.2% in Q2, down from 1.9% in Q1, indicating the weakest growth pace since 2022 [3] - The Q2 data reflects the first full quarter under President Trump's expanded tariff policy, with ongoing monitoring of its impact on growth [4] Market Reactions - Initial fears of a recession due to tariff announcements have eased as stronger-than-expected data emerged, with the probability of a U.S. recession in 2025 dropping to 17% from a peak of 66% [5] Federal Reserve Actions - The Federal Reserve maintained interest rates at 4.25% to 4.5% for the fifth consecutive meeting, reflecting internal divisions regarding the impact of tariffs [6] Investment Opportunities - The current economic conditions and the Fed's rate-hold stance create opportunities for value ETF investing, as a decent growth rate supports corporate earnings [7] - Investors are likely to rotate from high-growth stocks to undervalued, lower-risk companies as signs of economic cooling emerge [8] Value Stocks Performance - Value stocks, particularly in financials, are more sensitive to interest rate changes, and stable rates can enhance earnings from lending activities [9] - Several value ETFs, including Vanguard Value ETF (VTV) and Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLU), have shown positive performance recently, with VTV adding 1% and XLU gaining 4.6% [10][11]