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
Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (
GDXJ) 4.5%
Coming off of a four-day selloff, the junior gold miners ETF appears to be finding some footing. Physically-based gold ETFs are heading higher as well. The
iShares Gold Trust (
IAU) is up over 1.5%.
Gold is not the only precious metal seeing strength at the end of the week. The
iShares Silver Trust (
SLV) and
Global X Silver Miners ETF (
SIL) are in positive territory as well.
iShares MSCI Indonesia Investable Market Index Fund (
EIDO) 2.7%
After a tumultuous past few days, the markets are closing out the week on a tepid note. Emerging market funds such as EIDO and
Market Vectors Vietnam ETF (
VNM) are among the biggest movers.
Any exposure to emerging markets should be kept small and closely monitored. Funds like EIDO and VNM could head higher if confidence makes a comeback. However, investors should avoid becoming complacent here.
PowerShares Dynamic Oil & Gas Services Portfolio (
PXJ) 2.2%
Investors are showing a willingness to venture back into growth-correlated sectors. Energy-related industries seem to be a notable beneficiary amidst this flight to risk.
While oil producers are leading the way, coal is jumping as well.
Market Vectors Coal ETF (
KOL) is up over 1% in early afternoon trading.
iShares S&P North American Technology Software Index Fund (
IGV) 1.0%
The software industry is gaining ground as investors show a willingness to venture back into the technology sector.
In recent months, the inherently defensive nature of software has shown through. Over the past three months, IGV has handedly outperformed against ETFs linked to other tech areas such as networking and semiconductors.
Losers
iPath Dow Jones UBS Livestock Subindex Total Return ETN (
COW) -0.9%
Livestock futures prices are stumbling, pushing COW to a second day of losses. Throughout December, this ETN has faced steep hurdles, resulting in a retreat to levels last seen in late-October.
The
PowerShares DB Agriculture Fund (
DBA), which I mentioned in this morning's feature, provides investors with exposure to cattle futures as well as futures contracts linked to other popular agricultural commodities. During afternoon trading, the fund was unchanged.
