Winners & Losers

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This Week's ETF Winners & Losers

Robert Holmes

Overseas-related exchange-traded funds were among the best performers of the week as Asia's markets were higher.

The iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index (FXI) advanced 6.9% to $180.10, and the PowerShares Golden Dragon Halter USX China (PGJ) gained 6.4% to $33.28. The SPDR S&P China (GXC) ETF added 6% to close at $93.89.

Precious metals-related ETFs were also higher over the five sessions. The iShares Silver Trust (SLV) ETF added 1.8% to $136.58. The streetTRACKS Gold Shares (GLD) ETF finished up 1.6% to $73.49. The iShares Comex Gold Trust (IAU) ETF rose 1.5% to $73.54.

On the flipside, ETFs tracking the homebuilding sector were among the worst performers of the week, saddled by negative economic and earnings data.

During Tuesday's session, the National Association of Realtors said that existing-home fell 4.3% in August to 5.50 million annualized units, the lowest in five years. Additionally, Lennar (LEN) said third-quarter revenue plummeted to $2.34 billion from $4.18 billion a year ago, falling short of consensus estimates. KB Home (KBH) also posted a hefty loss from continuing operations.

On Thursday, the Census Bureau said new-home sales data fell 8.3% in August to 795,000 annualized units. Economists had anticipated a 5.2% decline. There was a net downward revision of 34,000 homes to the previous three months.

The iShares Dow Jones U.S. Home Construction (ITB) ETF tumbled 10.8% to $19.92. The SPDR S&P Homebuilders (XHB) ETF lost 8% to $21.42.

Retail-related ETFs also finished with losses for the week. Late Monday, home improvement retailer Lowe's (LOW) issued a profit warning, saying it now expects fiscal-year earnings at the low end or slightly below its previous guidance due to regional drought conditions hurting its outdoor offerings.

Target (TGT), meanwhile, reduced its forecast for September same-store sales growth to a range between 1.5% and 2.5%, compared with the previous forecast of 4% to 6%. The stock dropped 3% over the five sessions.

The PowerShares Dynamic Retail (PMR) ETF eased 1.9% to $17.85. The Retail HOLDRs (RTH) fell 1.8% to $100.18. The SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) ETF ended down 1.3% to $39.13.