The sudden bout of volatility that gripped the markets this year has been far reaching, touching all corners of the globe and ETF markets.
Among the worst performing non-leveraged ETFs of the year, the VanEck Vectors Rare Earth/Strategic Metals ETF (REMX) led the bottom of the pack, plunging 46.8% year-to-date. Industrial metals and related mining companies have taken a blow this year as the U.S. and China trade spat worsened. China, the second largest world economy, is also the world’s biggest consumer of commodities, accounting for 50% of global copper demand, so the lingering concerns over tariffs have cut into the consumption of metals.
Similarly, the Amplify Advanced Battery Metals and Materials ETF (NYSEArca: BATT), which includes companies involved in the production of advanced battery technologies, such as lithium and cobalt, declined 40.7% year-to-date.
The energy sector have also been among the worst off this year as crude oil prices plunged in the wake of concerns over weakening global economic demand and a burgeoning supply glut, with the the SPDR Oil & Gas Equipment & Services ETF (NYSEArca: XES) down 46.3%, VanEck Vectors Oil Services ETF (NYSEArca: OIH) 43.3% lower, PowerShares S&P SmallCap Energy Portfolio (NasdaqGM: PSCE) off by 41.6%, iShares U.S. Oil Equipment & Services ETF (NYSEArca: IEZ) down 41.0% and PowerShares Dynamic Oil & Gas Services Portfolio (NYSEArca: PXJ) 37.7% lower year-to-date.
Despite its recent gains over the past couple of months, the iShares MSCI Turkey ETF (NasdaqGM: TUR) remains one of the year’s worst off ETF plays, plummeting 41.4%. The Turkish markets were in free fall after the lira currency depreciated on rising concerns over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s executive powers. Furthermore, the emerging market weakened as Turkey’s lira hit record lows and bonds plunged on heightened concerns over a diplomatic scuffle between the U.S.