This Week's ETF Winners & Losers

Homebuilder- and chip-related funds were among the winners.

Author:: TSC Staff
Publish date:: Dec 7, 2007 4:37 PM EST

Homebuilder- and chip-related funds were among the winners.

Financial- and homebuilder-related exchange traded-funds were among the winners this week, as investors weighed a government-led plan to stave off massive foreclosures amid the ongoing housing slump and credit crunch.

President Bush on Thursday announced a multi-pronged plan developed by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and mortgage industry leaders that includes freezing for five years certain subprime, adjustable rate mortgages about to reset. Bush also pledged to work with other homeowners to refinance existing loans or move into loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration.

News of the plan first leaked last Friday in a report in

The Wall Street Journal

, pushing shares of mortgage lenders higher. Lenders like

Countrywide Financial

( CFC) and

Citigroup

( FRE) continued to advance throughout the past week as more details of the plan emerged.

The

Ultra Financial ProShares

(UYG) - Get Report

ETF edged higher 0.8% to $47.09. The

Financial Select Sector SPDR

(XLF) - Get Report

ETF rose 0.8% to $31.25. The

iShares Dow Jones U.S. Broker-Dealers

(IAI) - Get Report

ETF was higher by 1% to $51.55.

Among homebuilders, the

SPDR S&P Homebuilders

(XHB) - Get Report

ETF climbed 8.4% to $20.65. The

iShares Dow Jones U.S. Home Construction

(ITB) - Get Report

ETF added 10.9% to $19.02.

The

Semiconductor HOLDRs

(SMH) - Get Report

rose 3.3% in a week that saw a host of news from the chip sector, including a report that worldwide semiconductor sales rose 5% in October. Also, affirmed forecasts came from

Altera

(ALTR) - Get Report

and

Xilinx

(XLNX) - Get Report

National Semiconductor

(NSM)

had a disappointing revenue forecast, but the shares still had a winning week.

The

PowerShares Dynamic Hardware & Consumer Electronics

(PHW)

ETF was also stronger, advancing 1.3% over the five sessions.

The

Retail HOLDRs

(RTH) - Get Report

was up 1.6% during a week that saw shaky results from parts of the chain-store sector.

Quarterly profits plunged at

Chico's

(CHS) - Get Report

, and November same-store sales were mixed for a month that included the start of the important holiday shopping season. Still, the retail group overall had gains.