Energy, Materials ETFs Jumped in May

Energy, natural resources and basic materials proved to be a winning combination of asset categories, as funds in those areas dominated the list of best performing exchange traded funds for May.

Seven of the funds on the accompanying table of top performing ETFs for the month cover a wide array of the energy/natural resources/basic materials fields. The Market Vectors Russia ETF(RSX Quote) arguably belongs with the group, as its top holdings include the energy giants Lukoil, Rosneft Oil and Gazprom.

With oil and natural gas making up 39.6% of its portfolio and metals amounting to 24.5% of its holdings, energy and basic materials account for just under two-thirds of the RSX's total net assets.

Specialized energy ETFs on the list include coal (the Market Vectors Coal ETF(KOL Quote)), gasoline (the United States Gasoline Fund LP(UGA Quote)) and nuclear energy (Market Vectors Nuclear Fund ETF(NLR Quote)). ...