The iShares Transportation Average ETF (NYSEArca: IYT) and the SPDR S&P Transportation ETF (NYSEArca: XTN) are delivering solid performances on a year-to-date basis and the two transportation exchange traded funds have recently been building on those gains.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation, the volume of freight transported by road, rail, air, barge and pipelines has been flattening or lower since the end of 2014, Reuters reports. Meanwhile, stubbornly low energy prices may help the transportation industry cut down on costs.
Related: Not-So-Great Expectations for Industrial ETFs
Headwinds remain for the industrial sector. The sell-off in the oil markets has weighed on capital spending from the energy sector as producers hold off on new projects, pressuring U.S. industrial companies and sector-related exchange traded funds.
Meanwhile, a stubbornly low energy prices may help the transportation industry cut down on costs.
“Recently declining fuel prices only have a short-term impact on transportation firms,” Morningstar analyst Robert Goldsborough said in a note. “Most firms use fuel surcharge programs to pass through changes in fuel prices. In the short run, firms enjoy a margin benefit for several quarters from rapid fuel price declines because of the time lag in adjusting surcharges to shippers.”
Some technical analysts see bullish signs in the widely followed Dow Jones Transportation Average, which IYT follows.