The slipping oil prices are pressuring commodity-sensitive currencies, along with major oil-exporters and country-specific exchange traded funds.
The United States Brent Oil Fund (NYSEArca: BNO) fell 13.8% over the past three months. Brent crude oil futures are now trading around $56.7 per barrel.
Meanwhile, currencies of major oil exporters, including Canada, Russia and Nigeria, depreciated against the U.S. dollar as energy prices dipped on a stronger USD, slowing global growth outlook and ongoing supply glut, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Over the past three months, the Market Vectors Russia ETF (NYSEArca: RSX) retreated 7.5%, iShares MSCI Canada ETF (NYSEArca: EWC) declined 11.6% and Global X Nigeria Index ETF (NYSEArca: NGE) decreased 16.8%.
While there are no Russia and Nigeria currency-specific ETFs, the CurrencyShares Canadian Dollar Trust (NYSEArca: FXC), which tracks the Canadian dollar’s movement against the U.S. dollar, dipped 5.5% over the past three months.
The combination of a weakening energy outlook and the depreciating currencies are dragging on the ETFs that cover the major exporting countries. For instance, the energy sector makes up 43.7% of RSX’s underlying portfolio, 20.6% of EWC and 9.5% of NGE. Moreover, the country-specific ETFs do not hedge currency risk, so a depreciating local currency pressures USD-denominated returns.