Dion's Thursday ETF Winners and Losers

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

Winners

iPath S&P 500 VIX Short Term Futures ETN (VXX) 2.7%

The markets have jockeyed back and forth this week as sentiment shifts from headline to headline. In response, the fear-tracking VIX has managed to recoup some of the losses it suffered during the opening half of the month.

This, in turn, has helped funds like VXX strengthen.

iShares Dow Jones Transportation Average Index Fund (IYT) 0.9%

The transports are riding higher as we approach the end of the week. Union Pacific (UNP) is leading the climb, gaining nearly 4% on a strong quarterly earnings report.

The transports have run into turmoil in recent months as investors have expressed concerns about a potential global economic slowdown. In October, however, IYT has staged an impressive comeback, powering through its September highs.

It will be interesting to see if this upward action will continue in the days and weeks ahead.

SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI) 0.9%

State Street's (SST) biotech ETF is gaining ground, outpacing other biotechnology-related ETFs like the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology Index Fund (IBB) and First Trust Amex Biotechnology Index Fund (FBT).

XBI's heavy exposure to Cubist Pharmaceuticals (CBST) is likely helping to push XBI above its competitors. The firm is up around 9% in early afternoon trading. CBST is listed as XBI's sixth largest position. FBT, meanwhile, boasts no exposure to the CBST. IBB sets aside less than 2% of its portfolio to the firm.

Losers

iPath Dow Jones UBS Copper Subindex Total Return ETN (JJC) -4.9%

Market shakiness is weighing heavily on copper and other base materials. Shares of JJC are suffering their second day of steep declines, returning to the lows at the start of the month.

The red metal's weakness is weighing heavily on the PowerShares DB Base Metals Fund (DBB), which divides its assets across futures contracts linked to copper, aluminum and zinc.

iShares MSCI Thailand Investable Market Index Fund (THD) -3.9%

Thailand's markets are stumbling as concerned investors steer clear of volatile emerging markets. This is not the only headwind facing this Southeast Asian nation, however.

Widespread flooding brought on by heavy monsoon rains continues to threaten the nation's markets. Investors with exposure to THD will want to keep a close watch on this factor in the near term.

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