What is the name of the first exchange-traded fund listed in the United States?

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF, commonly called SPY, was the first exchange-traded fund listed in the United States.

SPY began trading in January 1993 and was designed to track the S&P 500 Index. Its structure combined features of mutual funds and exchange-traded securities: investors could buy and sell shares throughout the trading day on an exchange, while the fund held a portfolio intended to mirror an index.

The fund was created by State Street Global Advisors, with the original product associated with the American Stock Exchange. Its success helped establish ETFs as a major investment vehicle for individual and institutional investors.

SPY is often confused with the first ETF worldwide. The Toronto Stock Exchange’s Toronto 35 Index Participation Units, launched in 1990, preceded it. The U.S. distinction belongs to SPY, whose large trading volume later made it one of the best-known ETFs in the world.