SPDR Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)

SPDR (pronounced 'spider') is one of the world's most renowned families of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The brand trace its origins back to January 1993, when State Street Global Advisors launched the first ETF listed in the United States, tracking the S&P 500 index under the ticker SPY.

In the European market, including the Netherlands, UCITS-compliant SPDR ETFs are issued and managed primarily through State Street Global Advisors Europe Limited and State Street Global Advisors Luxembourg/Ireland umbrellas, with European funds commonly domiciled and structured in Ireland or Luxembourg. State Street Corporation, based in Boston, Massachusetts, remains the ultimate owner and asset manager behind the SPDR fund franchise.

Note that 'SPDR' should not be confused with other similarly named technology or financial software brands; in European consumer and retail investing, SPDR refers strictly to the exchange-traded funds offered by State Street Global Advisors.