Dion's Friday ETF Winners and Losers

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Welcome to Don Dion's "ETF Winners and Losers." Be sure to stop by throughout the week to find out which ETFs are gaining or losing.

Winners

ETFS Physical Palladium Shares (PALL) 4.5%

Palladium prices are powering higher, buoyed by the strong auto sales numbers in this morning's retail sales report.

Palladium and its cousin, platinum, are used extensively in the production of catalytic converters. PALL and ETFS Physical Platinum Shares (PPLT) allow investors to gain physical exposure.

iPath Dow Jones UBS Sugar Subindex Total Return ETN (SGG) 3.6%

Sugar prices are once again heading higher, pushing SGG to another day of strong gains.

The fund's impressive action over the past week has helped it break above its 50-day moving average and close in on its September highs.

This sweetener-linked ETN is not the only agriculture industry-related exchange traded product to gain ground at the end of the week. The broad-based PowerShares DB Agriculture Fund (DBA) is up as well.

Market Vectors Russia ETF (RSX) 3.6%

Energy-heavy international ETFs are powering higher as market strength prevails at the end of the week. Leading the way are RSX and other Russia-tracking funds like the SPDR S&P Russia ETF (RBL).

RSX has had a rough couple of months as global growth conscious investors have avoided market-correlated sectors and inherently volatile emerging markets.

iShares MSCI Thailand Investable Market Index Fund (THD) 3.4%

The Thai ETF is showing resilience in the face of ongoing concerns about the rising flood waters threatening a large portion of the nation.

While its upward action over the past few weeks is alluring, I encourage investors to use caution when considering THD. There may be volatile action as the nation braces for flood-related damage. Tread carefully.

Losers

iPath S&P 500 VIX Short Term Futures ETN (VXX) -3.9%

The VIX-tracking VXX ETN is taking a notable hit as we prepare to close out the week. This downward action caps a dismal week for this fund.

VXX's steep downward slide so far in October has sent the ETN below its 50-day moving average. This is the first time that this level has been pierced since it broke through to the upside in early August.

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