Dion's Friday 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 Silver Miners ETF (SIL) 2.6%

A wide range of miner-focused ETFs are gaining ground. Leading the way higher are precious metal-related funds such as SIL and the Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ).

Base metal producers are strengthening as well. The SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (XME) and the First Trust ISE Global Copper Index Fund (CU) are both in positive territory.

iShares MSCI Turkey Investable Market Index Fund (TUR) 2.3%

The Saudi Arabian "Day of Rage" demonstrations were overshadowed by the devastating Japanese earthquake and tsunami. With political tensions in this region pushed to the backburner for now, the Turkish marketplace has been given the go ahead to climb higher, helping TUR end the week on a solid note.

iPath Dow Jones UBS Natural Gas Total Return Subindex ETN (GAZ) 1.8%

Natural gas prices are heading higher, lifting GAZ and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) to notable gains.

This fuel's rise is helping equity based producer funds such as SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP) higher as well.

Despite the ongoing rally taking place across the commodities spectrum, natural gas has remained tempered. Funds such as UNG and GAZ will likely continue to perform in a volatile manner as supply concerns continue to weigh on prices.

Losers

WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity ETF (DXJ) -3.6%

The Japanese markets are taking a hit in response to the devastating earthquake and tsunami which it the nation late this week. While pressure can be felt across Japan-related ETFs, the DXJ is feeling the brunt of the pain.

While Japanese equities are getting battered, the yen is seeing positive action. During early afternoon trading, the CurrencyShares Japanese Yen Trust (FXY) was up 1.2%

In the days ahead, DXJ and the iShares MSCI Japan Index Fund (EWJ) will likely prove volatile as the nation takes steps to rebuild. The funds, however, should not be wiped from the radar.

Japan has proven in recent weeks to be a popular destination for investors looking for developed market exposure. As the recovery takes hold, this nation could once again become a region of interest for those looking to protect against market turmoil in the emerging world.

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