ETF Scorecard: January 19 Edition

• This week was rather dull in market-moving events.

• The U.S. consumer price index rose by 0.1% in December month-over-month, in line with expectations. Compared to the same period last year, inflation is up 2.1%, while core inflation rose 1.8%, surprising analysts, who had expected an advance of 1.7%.

• Retail sales leaped 0.4% in December beating analyst expectations of 0.3%. Core retail sales, less volatile autos and gas, rose by a similar amount.

• Britain’s inflation stood at elevated levels in December, although it dropped slightly from 3.1% to 3%, in line with forecasts.

• Bank of Canada increased interest rates from 1% to 1.25%, in a widely expected move. Economic performance and the job market is strong north of the border, unsurprising given robust global economic growth.

• Eurozone’s inflation continues to disappoint, with the final consumer price index dropping to 1.4% from 1.5% previously. Core inflation, meanwhile, held steady at 0.9%.

• U.S. housing starts disappointed analysts, with 1.19 million starts in December compared to consensus estimates of 1.28 million. However, the downbeat figure may be a one-time drop given that building permits surged to 1.30 million from 1.29 million last month.

• Unemployment claims delivered a pleasant surprise, consistently dropping to 220,000 for the week ended January 13 from 261,000 in the week prior. Analysts had expected a fall to 250,000.

• Crude oil inventories fell for the ninth straight week in the five days through January 12, down by 6.9 million barrels. Gasoline stockpiles, meanwhile, advanced by 3.6 million barrels.

• The market rally largely continued this week, although investors were a little more cautious.

• The S&P 500 (SPY A) rose nearly 1% in the five days through Thursday.

• Low Volatility (SPLV A) was the second-best performer with an advance of 0.40%, while Equal Weight (RSP B+) posted the worst gain of just 0.31%.

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• Global markets were mixed.

• Emerging markets (EEM A-) spiked 1.81% in the past week, representing the best performance. A weak dollar and rising commodity prices combined with strong Chinese economic data and a robust global economy boosted the appetite for emerging markets equities. (EEM A-) is also the best performer for the rolling month with a gain of 8.6%.

• Russell 2000 (IWM B+) was the weakling this week, dropping 0.72%. Small-cap stocks likely suffered from outflows, as investors shifted funds to their larger peers in the expectation of an immediate boost to the bottom lines as a result of the tax reform. Up just 1.16%, Russell 2000 (IWM B+) is also the worst performer for the rolling month.

To see how these indices performed a week before last, check out Scorecard: January 12 Edition.

• Sectors have posted mixed performance.

• Equities in the healthcare sector (XLV A) posted the best performance this week, surging by 2.07%.

• Materials (XLB A) fell by 1% in the five days through Thursday – the worst performance.

• For the rolling month, the energy sector (XLE A) was the best performer, rising within a whisker of 10%, helped by oil and natural gas advances.

• Utilities (XLU A) fell 0.52% in the past week but the sector is down nearly 8% for the rolling month, as investors flocked to riskier assets.

• Foreign equities were all up with the exception of India.

• The Chinese stock market (FXI A-) is on a tear, rising 3.65% in the past week, as a string of good economic data boosted optimism.

• Helped by rising energy prices, Russia (RSX B+) and Brazil (EWZ B+) were the best monthly performers, leaping up 12.08% and 13.5%, respectively.

• India (EPI B+) is the single faller this week with a drop of 0.80%, posting a correction after hovering near record highs.

• For the rolling month, Germany (EWG B+) is the worst performer with a rise of just 3.97%.

To find out more about ETFs exposed to particular countries, use our ETF Country Exposure tool. Select a particular country from a world map and get a list of all ETFs tracking your pick.

• Commodities were rather mixed.

• Natural gas (UNG B-) continued its march forward, soaring nearly 3% this week, as record-low temperatures in parts of the U.S. boosted demand for heating fuel. (UNG B-) is also the best monthly performer by far, surging nearly 16%.

• Copper (JJC A) is the worst weekly performer with a fall of 0.84%, while agricultural commodities (DBA A) posted the smallest gain for the rolling month – up 1.80%.

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• The British pound (FXB A-) advanced 1.57% in the past five days, beating the pack.

• For the rolling month, however, the Australian dollar (FXA A-) is the best performer with a rise of 4.45%.

• The U.S. dollar (UUP A) is the only faller both for the week and the rolling month, down 0.80% and 3.08%, respectively.

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