The S&P 500 touched a record high Thursday, but when it comes to ETFs, the real excitement was seen in Europe ETFs.
For the day, five of the 15 top performers among non-leveraged ETFs were either single-country or diversified funds with significant Europe exposure. That group include steady hands such as the iShares MSCI Switzerland ETF (NYSEArca: EWL) and more volatile fare such as the iShares MSCI Spain ETF (NYSEArca: EWP). [Thursday’s European ETF Excitement]
One fund that did not make the top-15 list, but still merits attention is the iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF (NYSEArca: EWN). The Netherlands also has an AAA credit rating, one of only four Eurozone members that can make that claim. Germany, Finland and Luxembourg are the others. After another U.S. flirtation with debt ceiling disaster, EWN may look appealing to investors seeking ex-U.S. developed markets exposure. [A Developed Market ETF Gem in a Quiet Rally]
As most traders know, two of the most important numbers are price and volume and that is what makes EWN’s Thursday action attention-grabbing. The ETF continued to trade at two and half year highs and did so on strong volume. So strong in fact that ETF execution firm WallBech Capital noted EWN saw double its average daily turnover Thursday.