Palladium shined brightest over all other
ETFs
in November.
ETFs Palladium Trust (
PALL
) soared nearly 13% during the month as workers went on strike at
South African mines. The metal used in automobile catalytic
converters is produced as a byproduct of platinum. South Africa
accounts for 75% of global platinum mine supply.
Bloomberg reported
platinum and palladium face the largest shortages in a decade
because of mine strikes in South Africa and supply cuts in
Russia.
Russia's supply cut came as the U.S. dollar weakened, juicing
commodities priced in dollars. Terry Sacka, chief strategist at
Cornerstone Asset Metals in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., believes
palladium prices could finish the year higher, but says his
outlook could change depending on the fiscal cliff
negotiations.
First Trust Amex Biotech (
FBT
) bolted a little over 10% for the month, while the S&P 500
was nearly flat. Unlike the major market indexes, FBT has
regained its 50-day moving average, confirming a strong
uptrend.
Biotech stocks are benefiting from strong earnings reports and
favorable drug development news, Sam Subramanian, founder of
investment research firm AlphaProfit Investments wrote in an
email. "Takeover activity in the biotech group remains strong,
providing value-creating opportunities for investors. Further,
biotech stocks have low correlation to the broad market, a virtue
in this economic environment."
Zacks Equity Research
reportedGilead Sciences ' (
GILD
) hepatitis C treatment showed positive results in a study.
IShares S&P North American Technology Multimedia
Networking Index (
IGN
) rallied almost 10% in November. Its top holdings areMotorola
Solutions (
MSI
),Qualcomm (QCOM),Cisco Systems (CSCO), Juniper Networks (JNPR)
andF5 Networks (FFIV).
This shows the popularity of the voice-and-data-broadband
boom, which shows no signs of slowing down as Americans clamor
for the latest and fastest way to access their favorite content,
says Don Vandenbord, portfolio manager at Camarda Wealth Advisory
Group with $250 million in assets under management in Fleming
Island, Fla.
Biggest Losers
The biggest ETF losers in November included ETFs tracking
silver and gold miners. These are just pulling back after huge
run-ups in September, says Vandenbord.
The only ETF tracking Egypt,Market Vectors Egypt (EGPT),
plunged 13% as political turmoil engulfed the North African
country. President Mohammed Morsi sparked days of national
protest after granting himself sweeping judicial powers.
November's Biggest ETF Gainers And Percent
Change
1.ETFs Palladium Trust (
PALL
) 12.57%.
2.EGshares India Consumer (INCO) 11.43%.
3.iShares S&P NA Network (
IGN
) 10.34%.
4.First Trust Amex Biotech (
FBT
) 10.27%.
5.Guggenheim China Real Estate (TAO) 9.96%.
6.Barclays Shrt B Sp 500 ETN (BXDB) 9.66%.
7.Columbia Lg Cp Grw Eq St (RWG) 9.53%.
8.iPath Nickl Etn (JJN) 9.33%.
9.iPath Lead ETN (LD) 9.34%.
10.iPath Tin Etn (JJT) 9.29%
11.VS Inverse Vix Med Term (ZIV) 8.94%.
12.First Trust Nasdaq Cea Smrtphone (FONE) 8.71%.
13.Market Vect India Sm Cap (SCIF) 7.80%.
14.First Tr Ndq Global Auto (CARZ) 7.72%.
15.iShares Msci Taiwan (EWT) 7.54%.
Biggest ETF Losers And Percent Change
1.RBS China Trendpilot Etn (TCHI) -34.75.
2.Db-X MSCI Emg Mkt Fx Hdg (DBEM) -33.59.
3.iPath Se Msci Emrg Mkts (EMSA) -25.69.
4.C-Tracs Citi Vix Etn (CVOL) -25.38.
5.JPM DS US 10 Yr Trs (DSXJ) -20.14.
6.VS Vix Short Term Etn (VIIX) -20.03.
7.iPath SP Vix St Term Fut (VXX) -20.02.
8.Proshrs Vix St Futures (VIXY) -20.00.
9.Global X Uranium (URA) -13.84.
10.Market Vect Egypt Index (EGPT) -13.02.
11.Global X Gold Explorers (GLDX) -12.23.
12.iPath Carbn Etn (GRN) -11.65.
13.Market Vect Jr Gld Mine (GDXJ) -10.72.
14.Market Vect Gold Miners (GDX) -10.12.
15.Global X Silver Miners (SIL) -9.46.
Follow Trang Ho on Twitter
@TrangHoETFs
.