Performance of Energy ETFs

 

Comparison of Top Exchange Traded Funds
for Equity and Commodity Markets

 

The exchange traded funds (ETFs) for the energy sector include vehicles for tracking the price of crude oil in the commercial market as well as the equities of operating companies listed in the stock market. Among the index funds in this sector, a stalwart lies in United States Oil; the exchange traded fund is listed on the U.S. bourse under the ticker symbol of USO. On the other hand, the primo focused on the equity market is found in the Energy Select Sector SPDR, which flies under the banner of XLE.

This articles examines the performance of the two beacons over the span of 5 years ending in spring 2012. On one hand, the energy branch of the stock market has a bunch of unique properties due to its heavy reliance on the fortunes of crude oil in the real economy. Despite the close linkage to the physical market, though, every exchange traded fund is also an equity traded on a stock exchange.

For this reason, a vital question for the worldly investor is the performance of USO and XLE compared to the stock market at large. In the latter case, the flagship fund for the equity market as a whole lies in the tracking vehicle for the S&P 500 index; the exchange traded fund goes by the symbol of SPY.

Given this backdrop, we examine the performance of USO and XLE and compare the results against the turnout for SPY. In the appraisal, the key criteria take the form of volatility, payoff, and risk-adjusted gain.

 

Read more on Performance of Energy ETFs.

 

*       *       *