Exelon Deal for Constellation Thrusts Utilities, Nuclear ETFs in Spotlight | Page 2 of 2 | ETF Trends

“This merger creates the number one competitive energy provider with one of the industry’s cleanest and lowest-cost power generation fleets and one of the largest commercial, industrial and residential customer bases in the U.S.,” said Exelon Chairman and CEO John W. Rowe in a prepared statement.

Exelon is a top holding in Utilities HOLDRS (AMEX: UTH), Market Vectors Uranium + Nuclear Energy ETF (NYSEArca: NLR), Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSEArca: XLU), Vanguard Utilities ETF (NYSEArca: VPU), iShares Dow Jones U.S. Utilities (NYSEArca: IDU), and iShares S&P Global Nuclear Energy Index (NYSEArca: NUCL).

Constellation shares were up more than 7% in premarket trading Thursday.

ETFs that invest in nuclear energy and uranium have fallen sharply amid Japan’s nuclear disaster. [Nuclear ETFs and the Japan Disaster.]