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Best/Worst Weekly ETF Returns

Best/Worst Weekly ETF Returns: ITB, XHB Rise
By Cinthia Murphy | January 25, 2013

Related ETFs: ITB / GDXJ / XHB / GLDX

Homebuilder ETFs were among the top-performing funds in the past week, as the market continued to show confidence in a U.S. housing market recovery.

The iShares Dow Jones U.S. Home Construction Index Fund (NYSEArca: ITB), the best-performing ETF in 2012, tallied on another 5 percent in gains in the past five days ended Thursday, Jan. 24, as nearly 17 million shares traded hands in that period. Markets were closed Monday, Jan. 21.

The fund, now boasting $2.15 billion in assets, continues to expand on a stellar performance that saw its share price rally some 80 percent in 2012. Rising average home prices, booming housing starts now at multiyear highs, and improving demand for homes are behind the upward momentum pushing up funds that invest in homebuilder stocks.

Meanwhile, the SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (NYSEArca: XHB) saw gains of 4.35 percent in the past week. The fund now has $2.60 billion in assets.

Still, leading the week's top performers chart is a pair of iPath commodities ETNs, one focused on cotton and the other on lead. The strategies rallied more than 6.5 percent in the five-day period. The gains came as the Dow Jones industrial average rose 1.7 percent, or 229 points, to end Thursday at 13,825.33.

The Week's Bottom Dwellers

Aside from a roster of VIX-related strategies, a pair of gold miner funds were found among the week's worst-performing ETFs.

The Global X Gold Explorers ETF (NYSEArca: GLDX) and the Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (NYSEArca: GDXJ) bled 6.2 percent and 5.2 percent, respectively, in the past week.

GDXJ's move came accompanied by sizable volume, as some 3.5 million shares, on average, traded hands daily. GDXJ has $2.64 billion in assets.

Top 10 Weekly Performers, Excluding Leverage/Inverse Funds and <1,000 Shares Traded

Ticker Name Weekly Performance Weekly Volume AUM ($, mm)
BAL iPath Dow Jones-UBS Cotton Total Return ETN 7.42% 117,251 36.87
LD iPath Dow Jones-UBS Lead Total Return ETN 6.63% 10,361 7.56
LEDD iPath Pure Beta Lead ETN 6.18% 3,000 0.89
UGA United States Gasoline 5.14% 140,068 66.52
ITB iShares Dow Jones U.S. Home Construction 5.05% 16,872,261 2,149.25
PXJ PowerShares Dynamic Oil & Gas Services 4.51% 133,116 123.42
XTN SPDR S&P Transportation 4.49% 44,948 15.01
GEX Market Vectors Global Alternative Energy 4.44% 58,865 48.88
PKB PowerShares Dynamic Building & Construction 4.35% 249,676 82.06
XHB SPDR S&P Homebuilders 4.35% 23,565,698 2,608.21

Bottom 10 Weekly Performers, Excluding Leverage/Inverse Funds and <1,000 Shares Traded

Ticker Name Weekly Performance Weekly Volume AUM ($, mm)
GRN iPath Global Carbon ETN -24.94% 4,770 0.59
VXX iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN -10.39% 157,865,083 1,027.59
VIIX VelocityShares VIX Short Term ETN -10.39% 2,059,103 12.08
VIXY ProShares VIX Short-Term -10.38% 6,261,531 148.59
VXZ iPath S&P 500 VIX Mid-Term Futures ETN -9.37% 2,037,420 61.83
VIIZ VelocityShares VIX Mid Term ETN -9.37% 1,200 4.08
VIXM ProShares VIX Mid-term -9.36% 235,969 36.11
GLDX Global X Gold Explorers -6.19% 409,845 39.90
SCIF Market Vectors India Small-Cap -5.33% 1,310,268 106.83
GDXJ Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners -5.21% 17,957,317 2,648.45

Disclaimer: All data as of 6 a.m. Eastern time the date the article is published. Data is believed to be accurate; however, transient market data is often subject to subsequent revision and correction by the exchanges.