Dion's Wednesday 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

iShares Dow Jones U.S. Oil Equipment & Services Index Fund (IEZ) 2.0%

Rising crude oil prices are helping to propel energy-producer ETFs to gains. While energy hungry investors may be willing to dive into any and all funds linked to companies responsible for oil producers, in this morning's feature, I highlighted a few products that allow investors to focus on companies based in North America.

Guggenheim China Small Cap ETF (HAO) 1.8%

China-related ETFs are pushing higher mid-week as investors speculate over whether the nation's government will take steps to relieve restraints placed on the Chinese real estate market. While funds like the iShares FTSE China 25 Index Fund (FXI) and the SPDR S&P China ETF (GXC) are seeing strength, the small cap-focused HAO is leading the pack.

Other corners of Asia are enjoying upward action. The Market Vectors Vietnam ETF (VNM) and the iShares MSCI Taiwan Index Fund (EWT) are among the biggest advancers.

ETFS Physical Platinum Shares (PPLT) 1.2%

U.S. stock market indices are trading in a choppy manner as we head towards the second half of the week. Despite this performance, however, investors appear unwilling to abandon their metals-related positions. PPLT and the PowerShares DB Base Metals Fund (DBB) are both up in early afternoon trading.

Losers

iPath Dow Jones UBS Natural Gas Subindex Total Return ETN (GAZ) -12.0%

Premiums can cause a fund's action to be magnified in both directions. Case in point, after yesterday's dramatic push higher, the disconnected GAZ has reversed course and is currently taking a heavy shot across the bow. The fund's premium has pared back a bit, sitting at 65.5%. Continue to steer clear of this product.

For more on GAZ and its staggering premium, be sure to check out my article, "Achtung! Natural Gas Investors" which is currently featured on ETFProfits.com.

Market Vectors India Small Cap Index ETF (SCIF) -5.0%

After six consecutive days of upward action pushed the fund to levels last seen in September, the small cap India ETF is taking a breather. Today's heavy downturn has pushed the high-flying fund back to its 200-day moving average. This marks only the sixth day of losses for SCIF since the start of 2012. Other India-related funds like the WisdomTree India Income ETF (EPI) are also heading lower.

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