Dion's Weekly ETF Winners and Losers

The sugar ETN was a standout performer this week as supply concerns from top producers helped push the price of the sweetener higher.
By Don Dion ,

NEW YORK ( TheStreet ) â¿" Here are Dionâ¿¿s weekly ETF winners and losers.

Winners

iPath Dow Jones UBS Sugar Total Return Subindex ETN (SGG) - Get Report 12.7%

The sugar ETN was a standout performer this week as supply concerns from top producers helped push the price of the sweetener higher.

SGGâ¿¿s ascension over the course of the past few weeks has been impressive. The fund is currently on the verge of revisiting levels last seen prior to its breakdown in mid-November.

Agriculture has been an exciting region of the market to watch throughout second half of 2010. As we approach the New Year, it will be interesting to see how these products hold up.

First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index Fund (FBT) - Get Report 10.2%

The biotech industry was seeing strong performance throughout most of the week. On Friday, however, funds tracking this sector took off in a big way in response to news that

Intermune

â¿¿s

(ITMN)

lung drug received backing from the European Union. As a result, shares of ITMN rocketed nearly 150%.

Intermune accounts for a nearly 5% slice of FBT.

I typically advise more aggressive investors to opt for FBT given its heavy exposure to smaller, more volatile players in the biotech industry. More conservative investors would be better off opting for the

iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology Index Fund

(IBB) - Get Report

, which boasts exposure to a bigger collection of large, stable healthcare firms.

Market Vectors Steel ETF (SLX) - Get Report 3.3%

The global steel industry got a lift this week as sentiment towards the global economic recovery continued to improve.

SLXâ¿¿s index allows investors to gain exposure to both iron ore producers and steel manufacturers. This week, it was the latter which saw the most strength. Companies such as

United States Steel

(X) - Get Report

,

Nucor

(NUE) - Get Report

and

ArcelorMittal

(MT) - Get Report

easily outperformed Vale and

RioTinto

(RIO) - Get Report

Losers

Market Vectors Indonesia ETF (IDX) - Get Report -6.1%

Emerging markets hailing from Southeast Asia got hit hard this week, leading both IDX and

Market Vectors Vietnam ETF

(VNM) - Get Report

to noticeable losses. Vietnamâ¿¿s dip could be traced back to a downgrade from

Moodyâ¿¿s

.

Elsewhere in Asia, it was a tough week for China as a number of ETFs including

iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index Fund

(FXI) - Get Report

and

Guggenheim China Small Cap ETF

(HAO) - Get Report

treaded lower.

As long as inflation concerns continue to rouse fears in China, the region as a whole will likely remain volatile.

Guggenheim Solar Energy ETF (TAN) - Get Report -3.6%

Investors remain cautious towards the alternative energy industry as economic headwinds persist for the European Union. The ongoing push for austerity threatens the solar energy industryâ¿¿s government subsidies which are needed to keep the sector lucrative.

Although the sun may still shine on TAN in the foreseeable future, for now investors should use caution when attempting to track this or any other alternative energy ETF.

United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) - Get Report -2.3%

The natural gas ETF fell lower this week, revisiting levels last seen in mid-November.

Looking ahead to the coming weeks, investors seeking strength in the natural gas industry will want to keep an eye on weather forecasts. If predictions call for warmer than expected weather, natural gas prices could be in for a dip.

Over the years, we have seen time and again how difficult a fund UNG is to tame. Rather than trying your luck, long term investors with a desire for natural gas exposure should opt for the equity-based

First Trust ISE-Revere Natural Gas Index Fund

(FCG) - Get Report

.

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.

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