As capital market instruments, a share in a SPDR ETF can be traded as would a traditional equity. Your broker relationship must permit buying on the margin and short selling of stocks. The use of margin or short selling entails a high degree of risk, may increase potential losses and is not suitable for all investors. Please assess your financial circumstances and risk tolerance prior to engaging in these transactions.

There are no charges for transacting in SPDR ETF shares in the secondary market other than the customary commissions charged by broker-dealers.

Shares in SPDR ETFs are traded on stock exchanges in the same way as listed equity shares. Orders can be placed through your broker / dealer and the shares can be housed in your brokerage account. Your broker will be able to execute your trades during the normal trading hours of the exchange on which the SPDR ETF is listed.

No. Shares in SPDR ETFs can only be traded via your stockbroker or your financial intermediary such as your independent financial advisor, wealth manager or private bank.

Not directly, however, the funds with higher trading volumes tend to trade at smaller premiums and discounts than funds with lower trading volumes.

A number of SPDR ETFs distribute dividends semi-annually, and others reinvest accrued income. Please view each fund overview page for details on each ETF or call the SPDR ETF Sales and Support team at +44 20 3395 6888.

Dividends from distributing SPDR ETFs will be directed to your brokerage account. Any investment decisions for this cash from this point on, including the purchase of additional SPDR ETF shares, is at the investor's discretion.

Yes. SPDR ETFs tracking equity indices will receive dividends when an index constituent decides to distribute earnings. This cash will be physically reinvested back into the index to mitigate tracking error.

No. As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in SPDR ETFs, and you could lose money on an investment in the Fund.

Though SPDR ETFs seek to track their benchmark indices as closely as possible, there will generally be some deviation from the performance of the index. This deviation is typically due to operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows and operational inefficiencies, which are not reflected in index returns. In addition, funds that receive tax treatment different from their target index (e.g., funds benchmarked to MSCI indices) may also have performance that deviates from the index.

Both. Any person or institutional entity legally able to enter into transactions either directly or indirectly with an Exchange is entitled to buy and sell SPDR ETF shares.

SPDR ETFs will invest only in the securities that make up the benchmark index. Details of the index composition can be found in the product prospectus and holdings in the ETF are disclosed on this site.

Normal brokerage trading fees apply when buying/selling SPDR ETF shares. Moreover, investors incur an implicit bid/ask spread cost, similar to other traded securities, when trading SPDR ETFs.

Since SPDR ETFs invest directly in securities, investors are not exposed to counterparty risk associated with swaps or derivatives. The counterparty risk for the SPDR ETF is that resulting from trading securities with other counterparties and any linked to securities lending.

SPDR ETFs can be bought or sold through your broker or financial intermediary.

SPDR ETFs engage in securities lending and the lending agent for the funds is State Street Bank GMBH, London Branch. The underlying safeguards and operational processes built into our SPDR ETF securities lending programs were created to reduce the risks associated with securities lending. The lending agent selects and approves counterparties, effects lending transactions on behalf of the funds, and maintains collateral in excess of 100% of the market value of the securities on loan. In addition, SPDR ETFs participate in an indemnified securities lending program, which means that State Street Bank & Trust, provides additional limited indemnifications to the ETFs in the event of a borrower default on any given loan transaction. Details on securities lending are disclosed in the SPDR ETF prospectus and annual reports. Securities lending benefits shareholders, as the income it generates for the ETFs can potentially improve returns.

There are no hidden fees outside of what is detailed in the prospectus. The fee level referenced will cover all expenses incurred by the fund including those relating to, for example, fund management, custody, administration, accounting, audit, legal, and transfer agency costs. Please note that your broker may charge you a fee for processing your purchases or sales.