
Dion's Thursday ETF Winners and Losers
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Welcome to Don Dion's "ETF Winners and Losers." Be sure to stop by throughout the week to find out which ETFs are gaining or losing.
Winners
iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN
(VXX) - Get Report
2.4%
A mixed earnings showing from
Best Buy
(BBY) - Get Report
and a string of uninspiring economic reports has helped to muddle investor confidence. As indices head lower, the fear index and ETNs like VXX are seeing a bounce. The past three days of upward action marks VXX's longest winning streak since early February.
iShares Dow Jones U.S. Healthcare Providers Index Fund
(IHF) - Get Report
1.2%
Since bottoming in October 2011, IHF has staged a multi-month rally that has helped it recover toward all-time highs. On Thursday, top holdings including
UnitedHealth Group
(UNH) - Get Report
,
Aetna
(AET)
and
Cigna
(CI) - Get Report
were leading the pack.
Despite targeting a noncyclical sector like health care, IHF's top-heavy portfolio may leave it vulnerable to a shakeup. UNH alone accounts for more than 12% of its assets.
Currency Shares Japanese Yen Trust
(FXY) - Get Report
0.6%
The Japanese yen and long-term U.S. treasuries stand out as some of the few winners to come from this choppy trading session. The
iShares Barclays 20+ Year Treasury Bond Fund
(TLT) - Get Report
has managed to stage a nice bounce off its 200-day moving average. In the near term, it will be interesting to see if the strong spell continues.
Losers
iPath Dow Jones UBS Natural Gas Subindex Total Return ETN
(GAZ) - Get Report
-6.9%
The GAZ bubble continues to deflate as the weekend approaches. The ETN's recent string of losses has caused it to retreat to levels last seen prior to its February run-up. Despite this selloff, GAZ's premium still stands at more than 60%.
The futures-tracking
United States Natural Gas Fund
(UNG) - Get Report
is also taking lumps. Today's losses have pushed the fund to all-time lows.
Global X Uranium ETF
(URA) - Get Report
-3.6%
A three-day string of losses has pushed the URA to its lowest level since mid-January. The nuclear industry isn't the only corner of the alternative energy sector that is taking a hit, though. The
Guggenheim Solar ETF
(TAN) - Get Report
is following up yesterday's steep decline with another round of losses.
iShares MSCI Italy Index Fund
(EWI) - Get Report
-2.8%
A broad collection of international ETFs can be found toward the top of the losers list. In addition to EWI, investors are watching Asia-linked funds like the
iShares MSCI Hong Kong Index Fund
(EWH) - Get Report
, the
iShares MSCI Taiwan Index Fund
(EWT) - Get Report
and the
Market Vectors Vietnam ETF
(VNM) - Get Report
head lower.
All prices as of 2:10 PM DST
Written by Don Dion in Williamstown, Mass.
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At the time of publication, Dion Money Management had no positions in equities mentioned.