U.S. stock exchange traded funds were little changed before Wednesday’s opening bell following the previous session’s decline on disappointment the Federal Reserve didn’t announce additional stimulus for the economy. Europe’s sovereign debt crisis remains in focus.
Precious metals ETFs traded lower in Wednesday’s premarket action. Gold prices were down nearly 2% while silver futures slipped about 3%.
The metals ETFs have been hurt by a rising dollar this week. PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bullish (NYSEArca: UUP) is up 2.1% over the past week.
“In an environment where confidence is fragile already, the liquidity premium may rise further, especially in Europe, which would be bearish for gold,” Standard Bank said in a FastMarkets report.
SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEArca: GLD) is testing its 200-day moving average, a technical level it hasn’t breached since early 2009.
Here’s a look at the top ETF stories making the rounds online this morning:
- Weaker gold to test, but not crack ETF holder nerve. [Reuters]
- Short interest jumps in financial ETF. [Index Universe]
- Wednesday’s ETF chart to watch: GLD. [ETFdb]
- Emerging markets ETFs to watch in 2012. [Forbes]
- Retail ETFs setting up for bounce. [Forbes]
- ALPS ETF to close 2 ETFs. [ETF Daily News]
- ETFs that pay up to 7%, then mature. [SmartMoney]
SPDR Gold Shares
Full disclosure: Tom Lydon’s clients own GLD