This Week's ETF Winners & Losers
Overseas-related exchange-traded funds were among the best performers of the week as Asia's markets were higher.
The
iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index
(FXI) - Get Report
advanced 6.9% to $180.10, and the
PowerShares Golden Dragon Halter USX China
(PGJ) - Get Report
gained 6.4% to $33.28. The
SPDR S&P China
(GXC) - Get Report
ETF added 6% to close at $93.89.
Precious metals-related ETFs were also higher over the five sessions. The
iShares Silver Trust
(SLV) - Get Report
ETF added 1.8% to $136.58. The
streetTRACKS Gold Shares
(GLD) - Get Report
ETF finished up 1.6% to $73.49. The
iShares Comex Gold Trust
(IAU) - Get Report
ETF rose 1.5% to $73.54.
On the flipside, ETFs tracking the homebuilding sector were among the worst performers of the week, saddled by negative economic and earnings data.
During Tuesday's session, the National Association of Realtors said that existing-home fell 4.3% in August to 5.50 million annualized units, the lowest in five years. Additionally,
Lennar
(LEN) - Get Report
said third-quarter revenue plummeted to $2.34 billion from $4.18 billion a year ago, falling short of consensus estimates.
KB Home
(KBH) - Get Report
also posted a hefty loss from continuing operations.
On Thursday, the Census Bureau said new-home sales data fell 8.3% in August to 795,000 annualized units. Economists had anticipated a 5.2% decline. There was a net downward revision of 34,000 homes to the previous three months.
The
iShares Dow Jones U.S. Home Construction
(ITB) - Get Report
ETF tumbled 10.8% to $19.92. The
SPDR S&P Homebuilders
(XHB) - Get Report
ETF lost 8% to $21.42.
Retail-related ETFs also finished with losses for the week. Late Monday, home improvement retailer
Lowe's
(LOW) - Get Report
issued a profit warning, saying it now expects fiscal-year earnings at the low end or slightly below its previous guidance due to regional drought conditions hurting its outdoor offerings.
Target
(TGT) - Get Report
, meanwhile, reduced its forecast for September same-store sales growth to a range between 1.5% and 2.5%, compared with the previous forecast of 4% to 6%. The stock dropped 3% over the five sessions.
The
PowerShares Dynamic Retail
(PMR) - Get Report
ETF eased 1.9% to $17.85. The
Retail HOLDRs
(RTH) - Get Report
fell 1.8% to $100.18. The
SPDR S&P Retail
(XRT) - Get Report
ETF ended down 1.3% to $39.13.