What Is JNK? State Street SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF
Last updated July 2026
Short answer
JNK is State Street SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF, an ETF that tracks a US high-yield corporate bond index at a 0.40% expense ratio. JNK holds US high-yield corporate bonds, bundled into one ticker. It launched in 2007. At 0.40% it costs more than the typical high yield bond fund, nearer 0.30%. It distributes about 6.60%, and that payout moves with rates rather than being fixed.
JNK is issued by State Street SPDR and tracks a US high-yield corporate bond index. It charges a 0.40% expense ratio, holds approximately $7.3B in assets under management, yields about 6.60%, and launched in 2007.
What is JNK?
JNK is State Street SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF, an ETF that tracks a US high-yield corporate bond index at a 0.40% expense ratio. JNK holds US high-yield corporate bonds, bundled into one ticker. It launched in 2007. At 0.40% it costs more than the typical high yield bond fund, nearer 0.30%. It distributes about 6.60%, and that payout moves with rates rather than being fixed.
JNK is issued by State Street SPDR and tracks a US high-yield corporate bond index, so a single ticker gives you the whole portfolio of underlying holdings weighted by the index's methodology rather than by any active stock-picking.
What does JNK hold?
JNK does not hold a basket of individual stocks. It gets its exposure synthetically, through derivatives such as swaps and futures rather than by owning the underlying shares, so there is no conventional top-10 equity holdings list. See the description above for what JNK actually tracks and how that exposure is built.
How do I invest in JNK?
There are three common ways to get JNK exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) of JNK directly at any major broker that lists it. Hold it as a core position and layer more concentrated ideas on top. Or build it into a thematic portfolio in Walnut, so JNK sits alongside other holdings that express the same thesis, with target weights you can rebalance toward. JNK trades like a stock during market hours, so you buy it the same way you would any listed share.
New to buying funds? See how to buy an ETF, step by step.
Is JNK a good buy?
Whether JNK is a good buy depends less on any single call and more on your time horizon and what you already hold: it tracks a US high-yield corporate bond index, so the real question is whether you want that exposure in your mix and at what weight. We walk through valuation, concentration, and what would have to be true for it to outperform from here in is JNK a buy?
The bottom line on JNK
JNK gives you a US high-yield corporate bond index exposure in one ticker at a 0.40% expense ratio. Most investors use it as a core holding and layer more concentrated thematic portfolios on top.
More on JNK
Whether JNK is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, concentration, and what would have to be true for it to outperform from here in is JNK a buy?
JNK yields 6.60% as of August 2026, paid by passing through the dividends of its underlying holdings. For the payout schedule, history, and how the distributions are taxed, see JNK dividend: yield and schedule.
New to funds like JNK? Start with what an ETF is, then how to buy an ETF, or browse the full guide to ETF investing.
Wondering how JNK fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.
Investing in JNK with AI
Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how JNK fits what you actually hold: what it overlaps with, what it leaves you exposed to, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.
FAQ
What is JNK's ticker symbol?
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JNK, State Street SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF. Issued by State Street SPDR; tracks a US high-yield corporate bond index. Trades during US market hours, available at every major US brokerage.
What is JNK's expense ratio?
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0.40% as of August 2026.
What are JNK's top holdings?
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Top holdings as of August 2026: and others. See the full holdings table above.
How can I invest in JNK through Walnut?
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Walnut isn't a broker. Connect a brokerage and Walnut sits on top to help you build and track thematic portfolios. JNK can be a constituent alongside individual stocks.
How do I compare JNK to similar ETFs?
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Put a few fields side by side: the expense ratio (fees compound over decades), the index or strategy it tracks, the top holdings and how much they overlap with what you already own, the dividend yield, and the AUM, liquidity, and bid-ask spread that affect trading costs. For index funds, tracking error (how closely it follows its index) and tax efficiency matter too. JNK's figures are above; the full method is in Walnut's guide on how to compare ETFs.
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Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Holdings weights and fund statistics on this page are approximations stamped to August 2026; verify current figures against State Street SPDR's fund page or your broker before investing.