The Holiday Shopping Season is Nearly Here – Will It Be Merry For Retail ETFs?

Retail exchange traded funds (ETFs) might be feeling more "Little Match Girl" than "Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire" this holiday season. As more of our money goes straight to heating our homes and using the oven to bake holiday goodies, less of it will be available for gift-giving expenditures.

A survey by the Consumer Federation of America and Credit Union National Association reveals that 35% of consumers plan to spend less than they did last year, reports Michael R. Crittenden with Dow Jones. That’s up from 32% who said the same thing last year, and it’s the highest figure in the eight years the survey has been conducted.

According to Jessica Mintz at the Associated Press, things looked a little rosier for one retailer: Nordstrom. The company’s third quarter profits rose 22%, boosted mostly because of a change in the dates covered by the period. It lowered its outlook for the fourth quarter and said same-store sales will be flat.

• SPDR S&P Retail (XRT), down 3.99% year-to-date. Among XRT’s holdings are PC Mall (MALL, 2.21%), Aeropostale, Inc. (ARO, 1.99%) and Urban Outfitters (URBN, 1.9%).
• PowerShares Dynamic Retail (PMR), down 8.61% year-to-date. Among its holdings are eBay (EBAY, 5.81%), Kroger (KR, 5.45%) and Gap, Inc. (4.99%).
• Retail HOLDRs (RTH), up 0.82% year-to-date. Among its top holdings are Wal-Mart (WMT, 16%), Home Depot (HD, 13.25%) and Target (TGT, 10.4%).