State Street Global Advisors Expands SPDR ETF Equity Income Suite

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

State Street Global Advisors (SSGA), the asset management business of State Street Corporation STT, today announced that the SPDR S&P 500 High Dividend ETF (SPYD) began trading on the NYSE Arca. Providing access to a portfolio comprised of the 80 highest dividend paying stocks in the S&P 500 Index, SPYD is designed for investors seeking both equity income and the potential for capital appreciation at a relatively low gross expense ratio of 0.12 percent.

"As dividend paying stocks have generally underperformed broader market exposures this year, investors and advisors continue to assess their options," said James Ross, executive vice president and global head of SPDR Exchange Traded Funds at State Street Global Advisors. "In providing exposure to a large, diversified portfolio of dividend paying S&P 500 constituents, SPYD helps investors allocate to income-producing stocks that have the potential for attractive price appreciation."

The SPDR S&P 500 High Dividend ETF seeks to track the performance of the S&P 500 High Dividend Index. The index is designed to measure the performance of the top 80 dividend-paying securities in the S&P 500 Index, based on dividend yield. The index yield of the S&P 500 High Dividend Index is 3.97 percent as of 10/19/15¹. Index constituents are equally weighted and rebalanced semi-annually. Equal weighting the holdings helps to reduce single security risk that can come with dividend payers.

SSGA's suite of equity income SPDR ETFs now includes the following six ETFs with a combined $13.4 billion in assets as of 9/30/15.²

SPDR ETF			Ticker
SPDR S&P Dividend ETF			SDY
SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF			WDIV
SPDR S&P International Dividend ETF			DWX
SPDR S&P International Dividend Currency Hedged ETF			HDWX
SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF			EDIV
SPDR S&P 500 High Dividend ETF			SPYD

About SPDR Exchange Traded Funds

SPDR ETFs are a comprehensive family spanning an array of international and domestic asset classes. SPDR ETFs are managed by SSGA Funds Management, Inc., a registered investment adviser and wholly owned subsidiary of State Street Corporation. The funds provide investors with the flexibility to select investments that are precisely aligned to their investment strategy. Recognized as an industry pioneer, State Street created the first US listed ETF in 1993 (SPDR S&P 500® – Ticker SPY) and has remained on the forefront of responsible innovation, as evidenced by the introduction of many ground-breaking products, including first-to-market launches with gold, international real estate, international fixed income, and sector ETFs. For more information, visit www.spdrs.com.

About State Street Global Advisors

For nearly four decades, State Street Global Advisors has been committed to helping financial professionals and those who rely on them achieve their investment objectives. We partner with institutions and financial professionals to help them reach their goals through a rigorous, research-driven process spanning both active and index disciplines. We take pride in working closely with our clients to develop precise investment strategies, including our pioneering family of SPDR ETFs. With trillions* in assets under management, our scale and global footprint provide unrivaled access to markets and asset classes, and allow us to deliver expert insights and investment solutions.

State Street Global Advisors is the investment management arm of State Street Corporation.

*Assets under management were $2.4 trillion as of June 30, 2015. Assets under management include approximately $26.7 billion (as of June 30, 2015), for which State Street Global Markets, LLC, an affiliate of SSgA, serves as the distribution agent.

ETFs trade like stocks, are subject to investment risk, fluctuate in market value and may trade at prices above or below the ETFs net asset value. Brokerage commissions and ETF expenses will reduce returns.

Dividend Paying Securities can fall out of favor causing securities to underperform companies that do not pay dividends. Changes in dividend policies of a company may adversely affect fund performance.

Non-diversified funds invest a greater portion of assets in fewer securities and therefore may be more vulnerable to adverse changes in the market.

Equity Securities may increase or decrease as a result of market fluctuations, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices.

Passively managed funds invest by sampling the index, holding a range of securities that, in the aggregate, approximates the full Index in terms of key risk factors and other characteristics. This may cause the fund to experience tracking errors relative to performance of the index.

Standard & Poor's®, S&P® and SPDR® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC (S&P); Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (Dow Jones); and these trademarks have been licensed for use by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (SPDJI) and sublicensed for certain purposes by State Street Corporation. State Street Corporation's financial products are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by SPDJI, Dow Jones, S&P, their respective affiliates and third party licensors and none of such parties make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in such product(s) nor do they have any liability in relation thereto, including for any errors, omissions, or interruptions of any index.

The funds or securities referred to herein are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by MSCI, and MSCI bears no liability with respect to any such funds or securities or any index on which such funds or securities are based. The Prospectus contains a more detailed description of the limited relationship MSCI has with SSGA Funds Management, Inc. and any related funds.

Distributor: State Street Global Markets, LLC, member FINRA, SIPC, a wholly owned subsidiary of State Street Corporation. References to State Street may include State Street Corporation and its affiliates. Certain State Street affiliates provide services and receive fees from the SPDR ETFs. State Street Global Markets, LLC is the distributor for all registered products on behalf of the advisor.

Before investing, consider the fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses, which are described in the fund's prospectus. The following are the principal risks of investing in the fund: Passive Strategy/Index Risk, Index Tracking Risk, Equity Investing Risk, Foreign Investment Risk, Emerging Markets Risk, Geographic Risk, Special Risk Considerations of Investing In China, Special Risk Considerations Relating to the RQFII Regime and Investments In A Shares, Stock Connect Investing Risk, A Shares Tax Risk, Currency and Repatriation Risk, Offshore RMB Risk, Financial Sector Risk, Derivatives Risk, Investment In Other Investment Companies Risk, Non-diversification Risk, and Cross-Exchange Trading Risk. To obtain a prospectus or summary prospectus which contains information regarding these risks and other information, call 866.787.2257 or visit spdrs.com. Read it carefully.

Not FDIC Insured * No Bank Guarantee * May Lose Value

CORP-1642

¹ Bloomberg, SSGA: October 20, 2015
² Bloomberg, SSGA: October 1, 2015

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