Dion's Thursday ETF Winners and Losers

NEW YORK (TheStreet) - Welcome to Don Dion's Daily ETF Winners and Losers. Be sure to stop by each day to get a feel of who's winning and who's losing when it comes to ETFs.

Winners

Global X Gold Explorers ETF (GLDX) 5.6%

News that Newmont Mining (NEM) has agreed to buy Fronteer Gold (FRG) is causing GLDX to soar higher today. Like Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF, GLDX tracks a basket comprised of smallest, volatile members of the gold mining industry. FRG is GLDX's largest equity position, representing a 5% slice of the fund's index.

As of early afternoon on Thursday, shares of FRG were up nearly 40%. SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) 2.4%

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Despite the rough weather sweeping the U.S., retailers managed to turn out strong sales number this morning, providing XRT with some room to power higher.

XRT offers investors a promising opportunity to gain exposure to the consumer recovery. Looking to the near future, however, the 50-day moving average may pose an issue since it has been a consistent point of resistance so far this year.

iShares S&P Nifty 50 Index Fund (INDY) 1.2%

The Indian marketplace has faced staggering headwinds as inflation and corruption concerns spark investor fears. In response, the collection of India-related ETFs has taken heavy hits, tumbling throughout the start of 2011. Although today's gains are welcomed, investors should continue to tread into this nation with caution.

Losers

iPath Dow Jones UBS Sugar Total Return Subindex ETN (SGG) -9.3%

The food price rally captured headlines on Thursday when the UN food index hit record highs. Despite this news, the sugar-tracking ETN appears to be taking a breather, tumbling from its own record all-time high which was achieved yesterday.

The iPath Dow Jones UBS Cotton Total Return Subindex ETN (BAL) is another agriculture futures-based fund taking a hit today, dipping 3.7%.

iShares MSCI Turkey Investable Market Index Fund (TUR) -3.5%

The Turkey ETF has faced a rough couple of months as investors remain concerned that the nation's attractive markets could be overheating. Although the fund has seen signs of positive action through much of the past week, Thursday's decline highlights the volatile nature of this region.

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