Exchange traded funds that profit from falling gold prices have seen trading volume rise since the beginning of August as investors bet against the precious metal or hedge long positions.
These bearish funds posted solid gains Thursday while gold prices moved lower. Global stocks rallied, meanwhile, as worries over the Eurozone debt crisis receded somewhat.
PowerShares DB Gold Double Short ETN (NYSEArca: DZZ), ProShares Ultrashort Gold ETF (NYSEArca: GLL) and PowerShares DB Gold Short ETN (NYSE Arca: DGZ) are among the offerings in this inverse category.
Trading volume in the inverse silver ETF, ProShares UltraShort Silver (NYSEArca: ZSL), has been quieter recently, although activity spiked in late April and early May. Higher margin requirements to trade futures took some of the steam out of the rally after silver prices soared to about $50 an ounce.
On Thursday, the European Central Bank, along with other international policy makers, said it will lend U.S. dollars to banks that need additional liquidity, report Debarati Roy and Nicholas Larkin for Bloomberg. [ETF Chart of the Day: Inverse Gold ETFs]
Consequently, stocks gained on the “initial knee-jerk reaction after ECB’s statement as people are viewing it positive for the European economy,” Frank McGhee, the head dealer at Integrated Brokerage Services, remarked. [ETFs that Bet Against Gold See Trading Volume Rise]