Five Forgotten ETFs Up 20% Or More Year-To-Date

Published on Wednesday, 08 February 2012 21:58 Written by ETF Professor

It's no secret that the early stages of 2012 have brought favorable results for select ETFs. And there have been disappointments along the way, too.

Still, it's fair to say that many plain vanilla long ETFs are off to fine starts this year. When screening for those that were up 20% or more year-to-date at the start of trading Wednesday, however, the results turn up plenty of funds that aren't garnering many headlines.

With that, we decided to look for non-leveraged ETFs that meet the up 20% or more year-to-date qualification whose bullish performances have flown under the radar and have the potential to keep on trucking. Here are five to consider. (Year-to-date data courtesy of Finviz).

EGShares Energy GEMS ETF (OGEM): At the start of trading Wednesday, OGEM was up 20.33% since the start of the year, but with so many oil ETFs out there, it's not surprising this one gets lost in the shuffle.

Home to 30 stocks, OGEM is a fine way of getting Russia exposure without owning a Russia-specific ETF as that country represents almost 34% of OGEM's weight. And if you like state-run enterprises such as Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) and PetroChina (NYSE:PTR), OGEM is worth considering.

Support for OGEM rests just over $24, but a look at the chart indicates this ETF could see the high $20s or low $30s sooner rather than later.

Market Vectors Poland ETF (PLND): The Market Vectors Poland ETF hasn't gone completely ignored as it has been mentioned in this space previously and ETF Trends recently examined the fund as well.

Still, for an emerging markets ETF that's up over 21% year-to-date, PLND isn't winning any popularity contests. The biggest problem with PLND or the rival iShares MSCI Poland Investable Market Index Fund (PLND) isn't Poland.

Rather, it's Poland's proximity to the Euro Zone and the associated baggage. In other words, the fortunes of these ETFs are tied to the ability of European policymakers to actually do something about Europe's sovereign debt crisis.

UBS E-TRACS Long Platinum TR ETN (PTM): If we're being generous and include the almost 4% PTM is up as of mid-day Wednesday, then the ETN is up over 42% year-to-date and more than 10% since it was highlighted here. It would be nice to see a pullback to $21 to get involved, but with the way this ETN has been acting lately, that pullback may not materialize soon.

First Trust BICK Index Fund (BICK): Don't flick this BICK because the First Trust BICK Index Fund is up 21% year-to-date, a performance that has been buoyed by resurgent emerging markets.

BICK is not just a ticker, but an acronym for Brazil, India, China and Korea as in South Korea. And those are the four countries BICK offers exposure. The ETF can hold up to 100 stocks (25 from each nation), but currently holds 91 and has an expense ratio of 0.64%.

Guggenheim Airline ETF (FAA): As the lone ETF tracking a highly-publicized sector, the Guggenheim Airline ETF isn't short on headlines, but a lot of investors may not realize just how strong this ETF has been to start the new year. Scoffing at oil prices that continue flirting with $100 per barrel, FAA was up over 23% this year at the start of trading today. We have our doubts about how long that can continue but more industry consolidation might be the tonic to help investors look past oil prices and potential labor issues.

Benzinga.com

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