Don Dion's Weekly ETF Blog Wrap

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Don Dion posts his current insights on the stock, bond, commodity and currency markets in his RealMoney blog, anticipating which ETFs will be in play next.

In the following three blogs from the past week Don commented on three ETFs that could benefit from government infrastructure spending, how to profit from the shakeout from the health care vote, and an ETF that was crippled by contango.

Three ETFs for Government Infrastructure Spending

Posted 03/18/2010 4:06 p.m. EDT

President Obama continues to pledge funds toward infrastructure projects, signing a $17.6 billion jobs bill this morning that subsidizes state and local construction bonds and allocates $19.5 billion for a highway construction program. Even before setting foot into office, Obama outlined his plan to make the "single largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s," so this trend in spending is certainly worth betting on.

These following three ETFs offer exposure to government-sponsored infrastructure projects.

1. iShares S&P Global Infrastructure Index (IGF)

While there still isn't a broad U.S. infrastructure ETF, IGF devotes 22.98% of its underlying portfolio to U.S.-based firms. IGF's underlying index includes companies involved in utilities, energy and transportation infrastructure, airport services, highways and marine ports. Top components include TransCanada (TRP), Enbridge (ENB), Spectra Energy (SE) and Williams (WMB).

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2. PowerShares Dynamic Networking ETF (PXQ)

Earlier this week the Federal Communications Commission released its "broadband plan ," designed to bring broadband Internet access to nine out of 10 Americans. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has pledged $7.2 billion toward high-speed Internet expansion, prompting the drafting of the comprehensive national strategy.

PXQ tracks networking companies that are screened for various investment criteria such as risk and timeliness. Top PXQ components include VMware (VMW), Juniper Networks (JNPR), Citrix Systems (CTXS), Amphenol (APH) and Cisco (CSCO).

3. PowerShares Water Resources ETF (PHO)

In a post yesterday, I mentioned how increased water allocations in California would strain an increasingly insufficient infrastructure. Obama administration officials are working on solutions to improve or replace existing infrastructure.

Across the country firms are working to protect our clean water supply. Many of the companies represented in PHO's portfolio -- such as URS (URS) and Aecom (ACM) -- already have lucrative government partnerships. As Obama moves to increase infrastructure spending, contracts should continue to increase.

While health care reform and financial reform loom large on the federal agenda, unemployment remains a top issue for many Americans. Job creation through infrastructure projects -- a theme that Obama has emphasized since his campaign -- should continue to boost funds like PHO, PXQ and IGF in the months ahead.

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