Referenced Stocks

ETF Update: ETFs, Stocks Mixed Ahead of Fed's Policy Statement

By MT Newswires October 24, 2012, 02:01:31 PM EDT

Active broad-market exchange-traded funds at mid-day:

SPDR S&P 500 ( SPY ): +0.15%

PowerShares QQQ Trust, Series 1 ( QQQ ): -0.02%

Financial Select Sector SPDR ( XLF ): +0.47%

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index ( EEM ): +0.76%

iPath S&P 500 VIX Short Term Futures ( VXX ): -0.3%

Broad Market Indicators

Broad-market exchange-traded funds, including SPY, IWM, IVV and others, are mixed as reflected in actively traded PowerShares QQQ ( QQQ ) which has fluctuated between gains and losses.

U.S. stocks are pretty flat and looking for direction. Earlier, market sentiment got a lift from upbeat corporate earnings, particularly from Facebook (FB), as well as from economic data: the flash manufacturing purchasing managers index data rose to 51.3 in October from a three-year low of 51.5 in September, and sales of new single-family homes jumped 5.7% in September, its highest level since April 2010, according to Market Watch. Investors are now waiting on the policy statement to be released by the Federal Open Market Committee at 2.15 pm ET, as their two-day meeting concludes.

Winners and Losers

Financial -

Select Financial Sector SPDRs ( XLF ) is up 0.5%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X shares (FAS) is up 1.1%. Its bearish counterpart, FAZ, is down 1%.

Technology -

Tech ETFs are mixed to lower: Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK), down 0.2%; iShares Dow Jones US Technology ETF (IYW), down 0.14%; iShares S&P North American Technology ETF (IGM), down 0.65%; and iShares S&P North American Technology-Software Index (IGV), down 0.35%.

Among semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) is down 0.7% and closer to year lows; Semiconductor Sector Index Fund (SOXX) is down 1.2%.

SPDR S&P International Technology Sector ETF (IPK) is up 0.46%.

Commodities -

Crude was down 1.55%; likewise, natural gas was down 1.86%. United States Oil Fund (USO) is down 1.1%. United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) is down 1.5%.

Gold and silver were lower, up 0.30% and 0.21% respectively. Among rare metal funds, SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) is now down 0.1%; iShares Silver Trust (SLV) is down 0.35%.

Healthcare -

Healthcare ETFs are firmer: Health Care SPDR (XLV),up 0.57%; Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT), up 0.44%; and iShares Dow Jones US Healthcare (IYH), up 0.54%. Biotech ETF iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (IBB) is up 0.74%.

Consumer -

Consumer ETFs are mixed: Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP), up 0.17%; iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK), down 0.01%; and Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC), up 0.16%.

Retail ETFs are mixed: SPDR S&P Retail (XRT), down 0.01%; PowerShares Dynamic Retail (PMR), up 0.36%; and Market Vectors Retail ETF (RTH), down 0.2% but earlier reached a new year high of $44.70.

Power Play -

Industrial -

Industrial ETFs are weaker: Vanguard Industrials (VIS), down 0.16%; iShares Trust Dow Jones U.S. Industrial Sector Index Fund (IYJ), down 0.14%; and Select Sector SPDR-Industrial (XLI), down 0.25%.




The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.


This article appears in: Investing, Commodities

Referenced Stocks: EEM, QQQ, SPY, VXX, XLF



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