State Street SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF (QUS) Covered Calls

SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF tracks the MSCI USA Factor Mix A-Series Index. The fund provides exposure to large and mid-cap U.S. stocks by combining three investment factors: low volatility, quality, and value. By balancing these factors, the fund aims to provide lower risk and higher risk-adjusted returns compared to traditional market-cap weighted U.S. equity benchmarks.

You can sell covered calls on State Street SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF to lower risk and earn monthly income. Born To Sell's covered call screener gives you customized search capabilities across all possible covered calls but here are a couple of examples for QUS (prices last updated Mon 12:55 PM ET):

State Street SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF (QUS) Stock Quote
Last Change Bid Ask Volume P/E Market Cap
180.40 -0.05 180.14 180.24 5K - 0.0
Covered Calls For State Street SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF (QUS)
Expiration Strike Call Bid Net Debit Return
If Flat
Annualized
Return If Flat
May 15 180 1.00 179.24 0.4% 7.7%
Jun 18 180 2.00 178.24 1.0% 6.9%
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The SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF (QUS) is a "smart-beta" exchange-traded fund that offers a multi-factor approach to investing in the United States equity market. Instead of simply weighting companies by their market size, the fund tracks the MSCI USA Factor Mix A-Series Index, which equal-weights three proven style factors: Value, Quality, and Low Volatility. This strategy is designed to capture the potential outperformance associated with these factors while smoothing out the cyclicality of any single factor.

The fund construction process involves scoring companies from the MSCI USA Index based on their fundamental strength (Quality), their price relative to earnings and book value (Value), and their historical price stability (Low Volatility). By combining these attributes, the fund seeks to participate in market rallies while providing a defensive cushion during downturns. The resulting portfolio is diversified across all major U.S. sectors, including technology, healthcare, and financials, but with a more disciplined risk profile than a standard growth-heavy index.

Competitive Landscape

The fund competes in the core U.S. large-cap space, specifically against other factor-based and "minimum volatility" products. It is often compared to both broad market benchmarks and single-factor ETFs. Key peers and alternatives include:

  1. SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust: This is the primary non-factor competitor, representing the standard market-cap weighted benchmark for large-cap U.S. equities.
  2. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF: This competitor focuses exclusively on the low-volatility factor, appealing to investors whose primary goal is absolute risk reduction.
  3. iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF: This fund targets the quality factor alone, selecting companies with high return on equity and stable earnings growth.
  4. iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF: This institution offers a different factor approach by focusing on stocks with the strongest recent price trends, often serving as a growth-oriented alternative.

Strategic Outlook and Innovation

The strategic focus of the fund is the continued delivery of a "core-plus" experience, where investors get broad market exposure with enhanced risk management. Management prioritizes the systematic rebalancing of the factor tilts to ensure that the portfolio does not become overly concentrated in a single style as market regimes change. This objective approach removes the emotional bias often found in active management while maintaining a more sophisticated profile than a passive index.

Innovation for the fund involves the use of increasingly granular corporate data to refine how "quality" and "value" are defined in a digital economy. For example, the model may adapt to better account for intangible assets and research and development spending when evaluating a company fundamental strength. Future growth for the fund is tied to the institutionalization of factor investing, as more professional and retail investors move away from pure market-cap weighting in favor of strategies that explicitly target specific sources of long-term returns.

 
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Covered Call Strategy Risks: While covered call writing is often considered a conservative options strategy, it is not without risk. By selling a covered call, you are limiting your potential upside profit from the underlying stock. You remain exposed to the full downside risk of owning the underlying stock. In the event of a significant decline in the stock price, the premium received may not be sufficient to offset your losses.

No Guarantee of Performance: Past performance is not indicative of future results. Any examples, calculations, or hypothetical scenarios presented on this site are for illustrative purposes only and do not guarantee future returns or outcomes. Market conditions, liquidity, and trading system failures can affect your ability to execute trades at desired prices.

You should consult with a qualified professional advisor and conduct your own due diligence before making any investment decisions. By using this website, you acknowledge that you are responsible for your own investment decisions and agree to release this site and its affiliates from any liability relating to your use of this information. See the OCC's Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options for more info.