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

iPath Dow Jones UBS Natural Gas Subindex Total Return ETN (GAZ) 6.4%

Investors using GAZ to track the performance of natural gas futures would think that the fuel is rocketing higher as we approach the end of the week. Most of the gains seen from this ETN, however, are due to its massive premium. The United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG), which currently doesn't boast any disconnect, is up less than 1%.

Market Vectors Vietnam ETF (VNM) 2.5%

The Vietnam ETF has been on a roller coaster the past few days. However, the fund appears set to close out the week with gains.

Given the magnitude of VNM's early 2012 run, it will be interesting to see if the fund has some gas left in the tank in the coming days. Conservative investors should steer clear, however. This fund tends to move quickly in both directions.

Guggenheim China Small Cap Index ETF (HAO) 1.1%

After suffering through two days of losses, the small cap China ETF has found some footing and is pushing higher. In the past, I have encouraged investors looking to target the blossoming Chinese middle class to turn to this small-cap option. Another appealing fund for those looking for access to the Chinese consumer is the Global X China Consumer ETF (CHIQ). Be warned, like any other single-sector product, CHIQ is vulnerable to wild day-to-day action.

Losers

United States Gasoline Fund (UGA) -2.2%

While natural gas futures are enjoying some strength, the same cannot be said for other components of the energy spectrum. UGA and the oil futures-backed United States Oil Fund (USO) are in negative territory.

Energy producers are floundering as well, including the SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP), which is off nearly 2% in mid-day trading.

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