Fear and Drought Drive ETF Performances

BEST & WORST July 2-6: Last week's ETF performances were fuelled by grain prices on the upside and fear on the downside

Lee Davidson 11 July, 2012 | 9:49AM
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Exchange-traded products (ETPs) tracking corn, wheat, coffee and other agricultural commodities continued to surge last week due to adverse weather conditions in some of the world's major grain producing regions. The current US drought is the worst seen in over 20 years and has spurred a frenzy of buying activity, particularly in corn futures. This severe weather has coincided with corn's crucial pollination phase, thus accentuating the bull-case that corn yields will be substantially less than anticipated despite record levels of new planting this year. Over the past three weeks, corn prices have risen 38% reaching near to a 10-month high. Drought conditions have also impacted prices for other agricultural commodities, such as wheat and soybeans.

Volatility-linked products were among last week's worst performing ETPs. Volatility-linked products typically spike when expectations for future volatility (i.e. 'fear') rise. Last week, optimism prevailed with regards to whether European officials would reach an agreement to contain the eurozone debt crisis. In the last few weeks, the VIX has fallen nearly 36% from its 2012 peak in June. 

Here are the details for last week's best and worst performing ETPs:

The information contained within is for educational and informational purposes ONLY. It is not intended nor should it be considered an invitation or inducement to buy or sell a security or securities noted within nor should it be viewed as a communication intended to persuade or incite you to buy or sell security or securities noted within. Any commentary provided is the opinion of the author and should not be considered a personalised recommendation. The information contained within should not be a person's sole basis for making an investment decision. Please contact your financial professional before making an investment decision.

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About Author

Lee Davidson

Lee Davidson  is Head of Manager and Quantitative Research.

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