Last couple of years have not been very smooth for the global
markets. Besides economic troubles in Italy, Spain, Greece and
Ireland, sequestration and the fiscal cliff in the U.S. had caused
temporary disruptions to the Wall Street rally. However, Wall
Street has not looked back since the start of this year.
It appears that as long as the Fed continues with its massive
asset purchases, none of the global upheavals can stop the Wall
Street advance. In fact, before the recent three-day slide, both
the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index and S&P 500 Index inched
up to their all-time or multi-year highs. (3 Foreign ETFs Still
Beating the S&P 500)
However, after recording the longest winning streak since 1960,
the market lost its momentum in the last three days. Banking crisis
in the tiny island nation of Cyprus was held culprit for the fall.
But like any other European news, the impact of this news on the
market will not last long and the Wall Street will again head for
an upside.
A number of market sectors have performed remarkably well in the
year-to-date period, thanks to widespread market optimism. (Two
Sector ETFs Posting Incredible Gains)
Below, we highlight three ETFs which not only have performed
remarkably well, but have also led the market in terms of
impressive returns.
PowerShares KBW Capital Markets Portfolio
(KBWC)
2011 was a rough year for the financial industry in general and
especially for the broker-dealer/capital markets segment of the
industry. However, the financial sector emerged as one of the top
performers in 2012. (Capital Markets ETFs For 2012?
Now with an improving job market, housing recovery and increase
in consumer confidence, the capital markets segment is certain to
benefit from the positive sentiment. The segment started 2013 with
a bang, posting solid gains across the board as strong earnings
propelled the segment higher.
The bullish trend is very much obvious from the performance of
PowerShares KBW Capital Markets Portfolio (KBWC). KBWC has been one
of the solid performers in the year-to-date period recording a
robust gain of 14.52%.
The fund manages an asset base of $10.1 million spread across 24
securities. However, the fund trades in weak volumes, so the
bid/ask spreads could be pretty wide. Still, the product does have
a relatively low fee of just 35 basis points a year.
The fund is not able to minimize company-specific risk as 61.08%
of the asset base is invested in the top ten holdings. State Street
Corp, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley occupy the top three
positions in the fund. (Time to bank on Regional Bank ETFs?)
PowerShares Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production
Portfolio (PXE)
PXE represents a good bet to play the strong rebound in the
energy sector. Although it’s not as big a name as XLE or IEZ in the
same sector, the gains offered by the ETF are much higher than the
other two. (Time to Buy Energy ETFs?)
While XLE and IEZ have provided respective returns of 9.34% and
10.14% since the start of 2013, PXE appears to play the strength in
the energy sector far better by rewarding investors with a solid
gain of 16.6% year to date.
U.S. energy sector did not do so well in early 2012 only to
recover in the second half, giving some life to energy ETFs. The
sluggishness in the sector was mostly attributable to weakness in
the oil market.
However, in 2013, an increased production of oil and mounting
oil prices changed the fate of the sector. A significant rise in
oil production in the U.S. resulted in global energy firms
returning to the U.S market. And it seems that the current boom in
oil production will continue to provide a strong boost to energy
ETFs. (Time to Buy the Oil Equipment ETFs?)
PXE manages an asset base of $115.8 million and provides
exposure to 31 securities. Despite the strong gains provided by the
ETF, it appears that the product is not much popular among
investors as indicated by its trading volumes of just 19,800 shares
a day.
This may be due to the expense ratio being on the higher side of
the category average. The fund charges a fee of 60 basis points on
an annual basis.
With a concentration level of 46.4% in the top ten holdings, the
fund appears to be moderately spread across the companies. Among
individual holdings, Southwestern Energy Company, Marathon
Petroleum Corp and Phillips 66 occupy the top three positions in
the fund.
SPDR S&P Transportation ETF (XTN)
The first half of 2012 also did not go well for transportation
companies and ETFs, as weakness in the global market resulted in
lower demand for industrial goods. However, the transportation
industry showed some signs of recovery in the second half of
2012.
And when the global economy chugged along in 2013, leading to
improved demand for industrial equipment, the transportation
industry appeared to have benefited the most. In fact, improvement
in the global GDP growth rate should also continue to strengthen
the airline, railroads and shipping companies. (A Technical Take on
Industrial ETFs with ISM Data Release)
Since the start of 2013, XTN has exhibited a very strong
performance and it appears that with increasing demand for
industrial goods, the ETF should continue with its outperformance
for the rest of the year.
In the year-to-date period, XTN has delivered a return of 21.7%.
The fund manages an asset base of $36.1 million and invests this
asset base in a portfolio of 40 securities. XTN charges a fee of 35
basis points annually.
The fund’s concentration in the top ten holdings stands at 34.3%
with US Airways Group Inc, Avis Budget Group and Swift Transn Co
occupying the first three positions in the fund.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research?
Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30
Days. Click to get this free report >>
PWRSH-KBW CMP (KBWC): ETF Research Reports
PWRSH-DYN ENRG (PXE): ETF Research Reports
SPDR-SP 500 TR (SPY): ETF Research Reports
SPDR-SP TRANSPT (XTN): ETF Research Reports
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research?
Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click
to get this free report
Invesco Energy Explorati... (AMEX:PXE)
Historical Stock Chart
From Nov 2024 to Dec 2024
Invesco Energy Explorati... (AMEX:PXE)
Historical Stock Chart
From Dec 2023 to Dec 2024