Dion's Monday ETF Winners and Losers
NEW YORK (
) - Welcome to Don Dion's Daily ETF Winners and Losers. Be sure to stop by each day to get a feel of who's winning and who's losing when it comes to ETFs.
Winners
iPath S&P 500 VIX Short Term Futures ETN
(VXX) - Get Report
2.2%
The markets are performing in a shaky manner as investors return from the holiday break and dive into the final trading week of 2010. This is helping the VXX score its second consecutive day of gains. The
iPath S&P 500 VIX Mid-Term Futures ETN
(VXZ) - Get Report
, meanwhile, is locking in its third day of gains.
Looking to the remainder of the week, it will be interesting to see if the VIX-based funds can find some room to run.
ETFS Physical Palladium Shares
(PALL) - Get Report
2.2%
Although the markets are jittery, industry-linked precious metals such as palladium and platinum are seeing strength, leading products such as PALL and
ETF Physical Platinum Shares
(PPLT) - Get Report
to gains on Monday.
Gold and silver have commanded much of the headlines in 2010. However, it is palladium that has seen the strongest performance among the precious metals industry. According to a
Wall Street Journal
report, this volatile white metal has gained nearly 90% this year.
iShares Cohen & Steers Realty Majors Index Fund
(ICF) - Get Report
1.0%
They ran into headwinds at the end of last week, but the real estate industry is seeing a comeback on Monday. Leading this class of ETFs is ICF. Homebuilder-related funds are heading higher too, led by the
iShares Dow Jones U.S. Home Construction Index Fund
(ITB) - Get Report
.
The residential homebuilder industry has seen a strong run up recently thanks to improving economic conditions. However, issues such as oversupply continue to weigh on the industry's outlook. Investors should use caution when jumping into this region of the markets.
Losers
iPath Dow Jones UBS Cotton Total Return Subindex ETN
(BAL) - Get Report
-2.8%
Cotton prices have tumbled over the past four sessions, leading BAL to revisit its 50-day moving average. Because this type of boomerang performance is typical in single-crop commodity funds, risk adverse investors should steer clear and instead opt for a fund such as the
PowerShares DB Agriculture Fund
(DBA) - Get Report
. This fund spreads its assets across a wide variety of agriculture-linked goods.
iShares MSCI Spain Index Fund
(EWP) - Get Report
-1.3%
Spain is facing headwinds at the start of this week, as investors remain alerted to the sovereign debt issues facing the European Union.
Looking to the short-term future, investors willing to try their luck with EWP should keep a close watch on the fund's 200-day moving average. Throughout December, the region has become a point of resistance.
iPath Dow Jones UBS Natural Gas Total Return Subindex ETN
(GAZ) - Get Report
-0.6%
Armed with shovels, the Northeastern U.S. is still working to dig out of this most recent snow storm. While the accumulation has been impressive, this dramatic weather does appear to have lasting potential. Rather, mild weather forecasts are weighing on natural gas prices, leading futures-backed funds such as GAZ and
United States Natural Gas Fund
(UNG) - Get Report
to take shots.
All prices as of 2:14 PM EST
Written by Don Dion in Williamstown, Mass.
At the time of publication, Dion Money Management owns iShares Cohen & Steers Realty Majors Index Fund and PowerShares DB Agriculture Fund.
This commentary comes from an independent investor or market observer as part of TheStreet guest contributor program. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of TheStreet or its management.