This Week's ETF Winners & Losers
Robert Holmes
05/18/07 - 05:05 PM EDT
Bundled securities tracking energy were among the top performers of a mixed week for exchange-traded funds, as the front-month June contract continued its recent ascent.
The
Ultra Oil & Gas ProShares (DIG Quote) added 7.6% to $94.47, and the
Oil Services HOLDRs (OIH Quote) ended the week up 4.6% to $169.98. The
PowerShares Dynamic Energy Exploration (PXE Quote) ETF gained 3.3% to $22.51.
Elsewhere, the
B2B Internet HOLDRs (BHH Quote) benefited from the same M&A news that propped up the
Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Specifically,
Oracle (ORCL Quote) said it will acquire one of the ETF's major holdings,
Agile Software (AGIL Quote), for $495 million, or $8.10 a share. Agile ended the week higher by 8.3%, and the B2B Internet HOLDRs was higher by 1.9% to $2.15.
On the other hand, securities tracking chipmakers were hit hard. Following Tuesday's close,
Applied Materials (AMAT Quote) posted second-quarter profits and revenue that topped analysts' expectations. However, the stock fell 4.4% for the week after the company reported lower orders.
The
PowerShares Dynamic Semiconductors (PSI Quote) ETF eased 2.5% to $19.08. The
Semiconductor HOLDRs (SMH Quote) was lower by 2.1% to $37.15, and the
iShares Goldman Sachs Semiconductor (IGW Quote) ETF was down 1.8% to $64.94,
Elsewhere, ETFs tracking silver were also among the week's losers. Silver futures shed 2.5% to close Friday at $13 an ounce. The
PowerShares DB Silver (DBS Quote) ETF dropped 2.2% to $25.47. The
iShares Silver Trust (SLV Quote) slid 1.8% to $129.04.
Gold-related ETFs also declined for the five sessions, as bullion futures ended lower by 1.5% at $662 an ounce. The
Market Vectors Gold Miners (GDX Quote) ETF slipped 1.9% to $39.01. The
iShares Comex Gold Trust (IAU Quote) closed down 1.5% to $65.57, and the
streetTRACKS Gold Shares (GLD Quote) ETF eased 1.4% to end at $65.51.