As the Dollar Ticks Up, Picking An ETF Can Be a Challenge

May 12, 2008 at 1:00 pm by Tom Lydon

Dollar After months of a downhill slide, the dollar is making gains again and it’s benefiting some exchange traded funds (ETFs).

It lost a little ground last week, but so far in trading today, it seems to have resumed its climb. The gains have helped calm some worries about inflation, reports Tim Paradis for the Associated Press. When the dollar is weak, it can heighten price increases. Commodities like oil then become more attractive to investors who are looking to hedge inflation.

With that, oil retreated from its record high and fell to $125.41. Last week, it gained $10.

Jack Crooks for Money and Markets points to the G7 meeting in early April as the kick-off point for the dollar’s about-face. Traders began to dissect the events of the meeting and perhaps became concerned that a bottom had been hit, and now there’s a battle between the dollar bulls and bears.

There are many ways to play your sentiment on the dollar and other currencies around the world. Rydex’s CurrencyShares allow investors to hedge the falling dollar relative to a variety of currencies. Market Vectors has two new exchange traded notes (ETNs) that allow investors to go double long or short on the euro. And PowerShares has two ETFs that capitalize on either bullish or bearish sentiment on the dollar.

There’s also an all-in-one ETF if you find it hard to pick and choose: the PowerShares DB G10 Currency Harvest (DBV). It contains exposure to the dollar, euro, yen, Canadian dollar, Swiss francs, British pound, Australian dollar, New Zealand dollar, Norwegian krone and the Swedish krona.

Among your other options:

  • PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bearish (UDN)
  • PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bullish (UUP)
  • CurrencyShares Australian Dollar Trust (FXA)
  • Market Vectors Indian Rupee (INR)
  • CurrencyShares Swiss Franc Trust (FXF)

Read the disclosure, as Tom Lydon is a board member of Rydex Funds.

Tags | , , , , , , , , , ,

Subscribe

Enter your e-mail address below to sign up for our free e-mail newsletter, the Daily Market Update. We will never share your e-mail address with third parties.

Leave a Reply

    • Anonymous: Isn’t this type of strategy inappropriate for a long term investor? It may be appropriate for people...
    • Mike Havrilla: Still some companies holding up in the metal and mineral mining industry - 30 of the 78 companies in...
    • Mike Havrilla: Updated Global AnimalBiz Index as of 9/4/08 at: http://www.etfrx.com/2008/0...
    • Tom Lydon: Hi Berchta, You’re absolutely right that with any bond, there are many factors that must be...
    • BERCHTA DALE: Out of many methods you can invest your money Municipal Bonds happen to be one of the famous. However...

Recent Podcast

Tom Lydon Talks About New Frontiers for ETFs

 
 Tom Lydon Talks About New Frontiers for ETFs: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download