Active broad-market exchange-traded funds at mid-day:
SPDR S&P 500 (
SPY
): -0.12%
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index (
EEM
): -0.36%
iShares Russell 2000 Index (
IWM
): -0.28%
Financial Select Sector SPDR (
XLF
): -0.25%
PowerShares QQQ Trust, Series 1 (
QQQ
): -0.22%, but near year highs
Broad Market Indicators
Broad-market exchange-traded funds, including SPY, IWM, IVV and
others, are mostly weaker. Actively traded PowerShares QQQ (
QQQ
) is down 0.22%, but is still near year highs.
U.S. stocks are slipping back into negative territory or paring
back the gains they logged on the back of upbeat U.S. housing and
consumer confidence data. The energy and commodities sectors are
underperforming while the healthcare and consumer sectors continue
to see strength into the session's half. Markets had earlier
cheered the reports that the seasonally-adjusted
S&P/Case-Shiller 20-City Composite measure of U.S. house prices
posted its sixth straight monthly increase, and that consumer
confidence jumped 9 points to 70.3 in September.
Winners and Losers
Financial -
Select Financial Sector SPDRs (
XLF
) is now down 0.35%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X shares (FAS)
is now down 1%. Its bearish counterpart, FAZ, has turned the other
direction and is now up 1%.
In financial news, Nationstar Mortgage Holding (NSM) is up 7%
and has touched new year highs. The firm proposes $100 million
private placement of 7.875% senior notes due 2020. Proceeds from
the offering will be used for general corporate purposes, including
buying certain residential mortgage servicing assets from
Residential Capital LLC.
Technology -
Tech ETFs are lower: Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK),
down 0.42% but near year highs; iShares S&P North American
Technology ETF (IGM), down 0.45%; and iShares S&P North
American Technology-Software Index (IGV) down 0.88%. iShares Dow
Jones US Technology ETF (IYW) are down 0.5%.
Among semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) down
1.8% while Semiconductor Sector Index Fund (SOXX) is down 1%.
SPDR S&P International Technology Sector ETF (IPK) is down
0.73%.
In sector news, Research In Motion (RIMM) is up 4.5% but still
near year lows after the company's CEO, Thorsten Heins, said in a
developers' conference in California that the BlackBerry 10 mobile
operating system is "on track," according to a report on Market
Watch.
Industrial -
Industrial ETFs are lower: Vanguard Industrials (VIS), down
0.2%; iShares Trust Dow Jones U.S. Industrial Sector Index Fund
(IYJ), down 0.24% and Select Sector SPDR-Industrial (XLI), off
0.4%.
Among stocks, Caterpillar (CAT) said late Monday that it expects
2015 sales and revenues be in a range of $80 to $100 billion, and
for profit in a range of $12 to $18 per share. Shares are off
2.7%.
Energy -
Dow Jones U.S. Energy Fund (IYE) is down 0.33%; Energy Select
Sector SPDR (XLE) is down 0.38%.
In sector news, Emerald Oil (EOX) is tumbling, now down 10%,
having earlier hit new year lows. The company priced a public
offering of 93.75 million shares of stock at 80 cents apiece and
generating about $69.1 million in net proceeds. The deal was priced
at 9 cents - or 10.1% - below EOX's closing price last night.
Commodities -
Commodities, particularly crude, were selling off after seeing
some early strength - crude was down 0.24%. United States Oil Fund
(USO) is down 0.21%. Natural gas was up 1.38%. United States
Natural Gas Fund (UNG) is up 0.87%.
Rare metals pared down their gains: Gold was up 0.14%; silver
was up 0.36%. Among rare metal funds, SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) is down
0.05% while iShares Silver Trust (SLV) is now 0.4%.
Consumer -
Consumer ETFs have mixed, with some holding on to earlier gans
made on upbeat September U.S. consumer confidence data: Consumer
Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP), now down 0.2% but still near year
highs; iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK), up 0.06%; and
Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC), up 0.2%.
Retail ETFs are higher: SPDR S&P Retail (XRT), now down
0.3%; PowerShares Dynamic Retail (PMR), up 0.7% and has hit year
highs; and Market Vectors Retail ETF (RTH), up 0.22% after hitting
a new year high.
Power Play -
Healthcare -
Healthcare ETFs Health Care SPDR (XLV), up 0.5%, with a new
52-week high; Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT), up 0.33% and with a
new year high too. Elsewhere, iShares Dow Jones US Healthcare
(IYH), is up 0.44%, having also struck a new year high. Biotech ETF
iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (IBB) is up 0.45%.