Dion's Tuesday 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 gaining and who's losing when it comes to ETFs.
iShares Thailand Investable Market Index Fund
(THD) - Get Report
2.6%
Asian nations have dominated the winners today with both China and Thailand leading the pack. The iShares Thailand Investable Market Index Fund has flip-flopped quite a bit over the past few days as protestors continue to face off against the nation's government. Though today's rise has been comforting, political tensions in the area will likely keep this fund volatile for some time.
iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index Fund
(FXI) - Get Report
1.4%
As evidenced by an impressive performance from the GlobalX China Financials ETF, the broad strength seen today from China can be largely attributed to the nation's financial industry.
The Bank of Communications, the nation's fifth largest lender by assets, has helped lift this sector today after posting a more than 5% increase in its net 2009 profit. In FXI, the Bank of Communications accounts for 4% of the index.
Market Vectors Vietnam ETF
(VNM) - Get Report
-1.2%
Interestingly, while ETFs focused on Asian nations have commanded top positions today, there were also losers, with some of the heaviest losses across the ETF arena seen in VNM. The dip comes after Vietnam released its growth data and though it saw its economy expand nearly 6% in the first quarter of 2010, the growth numbers fell behind the data from the end of 2009.
has also been a concern as well.
Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF
(GDX) - Get Report
-1.2%
Gold prices have slumped today thanks to strength from the U.S. dollar as well as an optimistic consumer confidence report for March. Gold bullion has struggled against today's positive news regarding the economy's strength, and the junior gold miners have taken the biggest hit.
iShares MSCI Spain Index Fund
(EWP) - Get Report
-1.3%
Euro country ETFs have taken a hit today in light of euro weakness as well as the continued confusion regarding the Greek bailout. Most of Europe appears supportive of a plan to provide Greece with support, but Germany remains a formidable roadblock standing in the way. The biggest loser among the ETFs designed to track the members of the 16-nation bloc is the iShares Spain Index Fund.
Market Vectors Steel ETF
(SLX) - Get Report
-0.8%
The Market Vectors Steel ETF has lost some ground today despite news that top iron ore producers had convinced Japanese steelmakers to agree to a quarterly pricing schedule. Major ore producers underlying SLX including Rio Tinto and Vale saw slight gains on the news, but steelmakers around the globe felt the burn as investors fearing rising production costs fled the industry.
All prices as of 2:15PM EST
-- Written by Don Dion in Williamstown, Mass.
At the time of publication, Dion was not long any equity mentioned.
Don Dion is president and founder of
, a fee-based investment advisory firm to affluent individuals, families and nonprofit organizations, where he is responsible for setting investment policy, creating custom portfolios and overseeing the performance of client accounts. Founded in 1996 and based in Williamstown, Mass., Dion Money Management manages assets for clients in 49 states and 11 countries. Dion is a licensed attorney in Massachusetts and Maine and has more than 25 years' experience working in the financial markets, having founded and run two publicly traded companies before establishing Dion Money Management.
Dion also is publisher of the Fidelity Independent Adviser family of newsletters, which provides to a broad range of investors his commentary on the financial markets, with a specific emphasis on mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. With more than 100,000 subscribers in the U.S. and 29 other countries, Fidelity Independent Adviser publishes six monthly newsletters and three weekly newsletters. Its flagship publication, Fidelity Independent Adviser, has been published monthly for 11 years and reaches 40,000 subscribers.