ETF Spotlight: Claymore/Delta Global Shipping (SEA)

May 20, 2009 at 1:30 pm by Tom Lydon

ETF Spotlight on Claymore/Delta Global Shipping (SEA), part of a recurring series.

Assets: $29 million

Objective: Seeks to track the Delta Global Shipping index, which measures the performance of companies listed on global developed market exchanges within the maritime shipping industry.

What’s Good:

When a global economic recovery takes place, this fund could be a way to play it
It’s globally diversified – the top country weightings are the United States (15.3%), Bermuda (13.5%), Japan (12.9%) and Greece (12.6%)
The fund can also be a play on small-caps, as 86% of it is weighted in them (large-caps are 2.6% and mid-caps are 11.4%); small-caps tend to benefit from an economic recovery because their size makes them nimble

The Latest News

The shipping sector could show signs of recovery before the broader economy does. Why? As countries resume production of the various products they export, they’re going to need the raw materials to make them. Enter the shippers. Once those goods are manufactured and ready to be delivered, enter the shippers once again.

Drybulk shipping stocks shot up this week after one analyst said that rates in the sector were increasing, reports the Associated Press. The largest drybulk ships, Capesize vessels, have seen their rates jump because of firming Chinese steel prices.

Some shippers expect as much as 15% to 20% growth in the container shipping sector this year, and it’s calculated that the sector could grow an average of 7% to 8% a year until 2015.