We did a quick update of the top ETF’s in May last night after seeing markets rise big time following the European rescue plan worth close to 1000 billions. The US markets were up over 4% after a painful time. We had written about possible ways to play the Greece crisis and were wondering if only short ETF’s had done well so far this month… We would expect quite a few short ETF’s to be among the top since the S&P500 is down over 6% so far this month! So yes, looking at your statements on Mint or elsewhere might be a bit more painful!
So is it unanimous?
Not exactly! Although about 90 of the top 100 ETF’s this month were either short or leveraged short ETF’s, there were a few long ETF’s that made the list which might give some hope to the few bulls left alive after this bloody month. Right? Not quite in fact…
Which long ETF’s made the list?
At the very top is VXX, an ETF linked to volatility in the S&P500. It might be long but as you might know, volatility increases when markets crash and decreases when markets rise. It is certainly not an encouraging sign to see VXX at the top of our list for the month. What else made the list? There was a mid term volatility ETF and some treasury ETF’s which also tend to do well in times of crisis. So say what you want, yesterday’s huge returns are not a sign that all is good, in fact none of the top 100 ETF’s are really encouraging signs for the US market! So yes it was unanimous, the only way to do well this month was betting on a market decline.
Time to bet on a rebound?
With all these terrible things happening in the markets, you might think it’s now bound to rebound? It might happen but I’d say it’s far from a sure thing as it remains dependent on investors faith in the European governments and their ability to turn things around. So yes it might be time to return but maybe not all in just yet. Thinking about placing a few dollars on the recovery? Then look for the inverse of those that topped this list. They don’t exist to my knowledge for volatility but you can certainly go long emerging markets, latin America and other more fragile regions!
Ticker Name Industry Price Dividend Yield Payout Ratio Ex-Dvd Date
FTR Frontier Communications Corp Telephone-Integrated 4.715 8.91 308.73 12/9/2015
CTL CenturyLink Inc Telephone-Integrated 24.61 8.76 159.46 12/3/2015
MAT Mattel Inc Toys 19.9 7.65 104.03 11/23/2015
OKE ONEOK Inc Pipelines 32.34 7.48 139.17 11/4/2015
KMI Kinder Morgan Inc/DE Pipelines 27.795 7.03 194.91 10/30/2015
WMB Williams Cos Inc/The Pipelines 38.06 6.69 66.73 12/9/2015
COP ConocoPhillips Oil Comp-Explor&Prodtn 47.82 6.18 61.24 10/8/2015
IRM Iron Mountain Inc REITS-Storage 30.97 6.13 321.43 12/23/2015
HCP HCP Inc REITS-Health Care 37.07 6.11 113.31 11/5/2015
HP Helmerich & Payne Inc Oil&Gas Drilling 46.69 5.88 37.52 11/10/2015
MUR Murphy Oil Corp Oil Comp-Integrated 23.82 5.86 23.06 11/10/2015
NAVI Navient Corp Finance-Consumer Loans 10.98 5.83 21.78 12/9/2015
T AT&T Inc Telephone-Integrated 32.3 5.82 154.71 10/7/2015
GRMN Garmin Ltd Electronic Compo-Misc 35.23 5.79 101.8 12/11/2015
VTR Ventas Inc REITS-Health Care 55.96 5.65 192.15 12/17/2015
CNP CenterPoint Energy Inc Gas-Distribution 17.68 5.59 66.78 11/16/2015
JOY Joy Global Inc Machinery-Constr&Mining 14.31 5.59 22.64 12/2/2015
SE Spectra Energy Corp Pipelines 26.56 5.56 85.27 11/12/2015
MRO Marathon Oil Corp Oil Comp-Integrated 15.23 5.48 56.14 11/16/2015
CVX Chevron Corp Oil Comp-Integrated 77.88 5.47 41.2 11/18/2015
VZ Verizon Communications Inc Telephone-Integrated 42.8 5.28 89.18 10/7/2015
ETR Entergy Corp Electric-Integrated 64.19 5.18 63.35 11/10/2015
PM Philip Morris International Inc Tobacco 79.02 5.15 81.61 12/21/2015
STX Seagate Technology PLC Computers-Memory Devices 42.42 5.07 38.13 11/3/2015
NOV National Oilwell Varco Inc Oil Field Mach&Equip 36.37 5.04 28.69 12/9/2015
HST Host Hotels & Resorts Inc REITS-Hotels 15.85 5.04 77.4 12/31/2015
SO Southern Co/The Electric-Integrated 44.025 4.93 95.04 11/5/2015
HCN Welltower Inc REITS-Health Care 67.11 4.92 221.55 11/5/2015
O Realty Income Corp REITS-Single Tenant 47.12 4.86 213.23 10/30/2015
CAT Caterpillar Inc Machinery-Constr&Mining 63.96 4.81 45.1 10/22/2015
GM General Motors Co Auto-Cars/Light Trucks 30.14 4.77 68.76 12/11/2015
COH Coach Inc Retail-Apparel/Shoe 28.25 4.76 92.57 12/7/2015
FE FirstEnergy Corp Electric-Integrated 30.38 4.74 283.94 11/4/2015
RIG Transocean Ltd Oil&Gas Drilling 12.64 4.74 N/A 11/11/2015
DUK Duke Energy Corp Electric-Integrated 70.22 4.7 90.57 11/18/2015
PPL PPL Corp Electric-Distribution 32.29 4.68 61.86 12/9/2015
WY Weyerhaeuser Co REITS-Diversified 26.78 4.63 72.43 10/28/2015
OXY Occidental Petroleum Corp Oil Comp-Explor&Prodtn 65.66 4.55 N/A 12/9/2015
PCL Plum Creek Timber Co Inc REITS-Diversified 39.26 4.49 145.79 11/18/2015
ESV Ensco PLC Oil&Gas Drilling 13.37 4.47 N/A 12/10/2015
POM Pepco Holdings Inc Electric-Integrated 24.15 4.47 112.4 12/11/2015
F Ford Motor Co Auto-Cars/Light Trucks 13.5 4.43 61.25 10/28/2015
EMR Emerson Electric Co Electric Products-Misc 42.68 4.39 56.36 11/18/2015
ETN Eaton Corp PLC Diversified Manufact Op 50.29 4.36 51.83 11/5/2015
PBCT People's United Financial Inc S&L/Thrifts-Eastern US 15.44 4.34 77.86 10/28/2015
EXC Exelon Corp Electric-Integrated 29.17 4.26 66.52 11/17/2015
KLAC KLA-Tencor Corp Semiconductor Equipment 48.8 4.25 819.92 11/12/2015
IP International Paper Co Paper&Related Products 37.97 4.21 109.18 11/13/2015
MO Altria Group Inc Tobacco 53.81 4.2 77.94 12/22/2015
CCI Crown Castle International Corp REITS-Diversified 78.8 4.16 179.32 12/16/2015
PLD Prologis Inc REITS-Warehouse/Industr 38.78 4.13 107.4 12/14/2015
AES AES Corp/VA Electric-Integrated 9.81 4.08 18.05 10/29/2015
SPLS Staples Inc Retail-Office Supplies 11.835 4.05 228.62 12/23/2015
KSS Kohl's Corp Retail-Regnl Dept Store 44.95 4.01 36.56 12/5/2015
XOM Exxon Mobil Corp Oil Comp-Integrated 73.5 3.97 35.57 11/9/2015
NUE Nucor Corp Steel-Producers 37.48 3.97 70 12/30/2015
ED Consolidated Edison Inc Electric-Integrated 65.66 3.96 67.59 11/16/2015
SCG SCANA Corp Electric-Integrated 55.05 3.96 55.39 12/10/2015
AEE Ameren Corp Electric-Integrated 41.6 3.95 66.54 12/7/2015
DOW Dow Chemical Co/The Chemicals-Diversified 42.48 3.95 52.19 12/30/2015
KIM Kimco Realty Corp REITS-Shopping Centers 24.41 3.94 118.94 12/28/2015
NRG NRG Energy Inc Independ Power Producer 14.78 3.93 231.23 10/28/2015
WYNN Wynn Resorts Ltd Casino Hotels 51.62 3.87 86.23 11/6/2015
PBI Pitney Bowes Inc Office Automation&Equip 19.51 3.84 50.53 11/18/2015
AEP American Electric Power Co Inc Electric-Integrated 55.99 3.79 61.08 11/10/2015
PNW Pinnacle West Capital Corp Electric-Integrated 63.07 3.78 64.59 10/29/2015
PEG Public Service Enterprise Group Inc Electric-Integrated 41.24 3.78 49.33 12/7/2015
ABBV AbbVie Inc Medical-Drugs 54.06 3.76 157.34 10/13/2015
D Dominion Resources Inc/VA Electric-Integrated 69.12 3.75 106.75 11/23/2015
VIAB Viacom Inc Multimedia 42.56 3.75 22.76 12/15/2015
DTE DTE Energy Co Electric-Integrated 78.59 3.72 52.49 12/17/2015
CMI Cummins Inc Engines-Internal Combust 104.95 3.71 31.01 11/11/2015
PG Procter & Gamble Co/The Cosmetics&Toiletries 71.62 3.7 85.1 10/21/2015
MRK Merck & Co Inc Medical-Drugs 48.63 3.69 43.26 12/11/2015
GE General Electric Co Diversified Manufact Op 24.88 3.69 58.32 12/17/2015
CA CA Inc Enterprise Software/Serv 27.24 3.68 54.81 11/24/2015
XEL Xcel Energy Inc Electric-Integrated 34.76 3.68 59.56 12/22/2015
IBM International Business Machines Corp Computer Services 141.9 3.66 27.3 11/4/2015
MOS Mosaic Co/The Agricultural Chemicals 30.04 3.66 38.01 11/30/2015
LYB LyondellBasell Industries NV Chemicals-Diversified 85.51 3.65 33.57 11/19/2015
QCOM QUALCOMM Inc Semicon Compo-Intg Circu 53.11 3.61 34.88 11/25/2015
GME GameStop Corp Retail-Computer Equip 40.26 3.57 37.85 11/27/2015
PFE Pfizer Inc Medical-Drugs 31.42 3.55 73.64 11/4/2015
WEC WEC Energy Group Inc Electric-Integrated 51.66 3.54 59.82 11/12/2015
PAYX Paychex Inc Data Processing/Mgmt 47.65 3.52 81.76 11/2/2015
IVZ Invesco Ltd Invest Mgmnt/Advis Serv 30.93 3.49 42.76 11/18/2015
MCD McDonald's Corp Retail-Restaurants 97.84 3.48 67.6 11/27/2015
CINF Cincinnati Financial Corp Multi-line Insurance 53.05 3.47 54.86 12/21/2015
PCG PG&E Corp Electric-Integrated 52.45 3.47 60.03 12/30/2015
TE TECO Energy Inc Electric-Integrated 26.16 3.44 96.51 11/10/2015
MCHP Microchip Technology Inc Electronic Compo-Semicon 41.63 3.43 77.63 11/18/2015
WU Western Union Co/The Commercial Serv-Finance 18.05 3.43 31.11 12/17/2015
MAC Macerich Co/The REITS-Regional Malls 76.89 3.39 23.97 11/9/2015
ES Eversource Energy Electric-Integrated 49.37 3.38 60.59 12/9/2015
NI NiSource Inc Gas-Distribution 18.415 3.37 61.16 10/28/2015
SPG Simon Property Group Inc REITS-Regional Malls 183.72 3.37 116.31 11/16/2015
GAS AGL Resources Inc Gas-Distribution 60.73 3.36 41.46 11/18/2015
CMS CMS Energy Corp Electric-Integrated 34.65 3.35 61.36 11/4/2015
KO Coca-Cola Co/The Beverages-Non-alcoholic 39.7 3.32 76.08 11/25/2015
DE Deere & Co Machinery-Farm 72.45 3.31 25.42 12/31/2015