The Eight ETFs Which Owe Japan (KOL, TAN, KWT, PBW, EWV, UNG, GAZ, NAGS)

The news coming out of Japan for its nuclear reactors is sadly starting to now get more media coverage than the vast death toll.  The projected death toll is somewhere around 10,000 and now the fear is that radioactive material could soon be a seious issue.  While the US stock markets were down more than 1% earlier, we are now looking less bad off than even Europe after its major markets closed down more than 1%.  As you would expect, some sectors are actually winning today as a result.

Nuclear related shares are getting pounded now as politicians and activist groups are calling for a significantly geared down approach to nuclear approach now.  So who wins?  Think solar.  Solar power plants melting down only causes black goo on the ground.  Coal… who cares if it is dirty at this point compared to nuclear fallout.  Wind and other alternative energy… Same for solar.  Natural gas is back… Many power plants run on this, and if nuclear power gets curbed too much ahead then natural gas is going to benefit just like coal does.  Here are eight ETFs that are trading higher as a direct result of the Japan quake knocking out the nuclear sector.  Oh year, a “Short Japan Fund”…

Market Vectors Coal ETF (NYSE: KOL) is up 1.75% at $47.01 against a 52-week range of $28.35 to $49.80.

Guggenheim Solar (NYSE: TAN) is up 6.3% at $7.83 against a 52-week trading range of $6.02 to $9.34. There is also the  Market Vectors Solar Energy ETF (NYSE: KWT) up 7.1% at $12.39 against a 52-week trading range of $9.04 to $14.33. PowerShares WilderHill Clean Energy (NYSE: PBW) is up 0.9% at $10.00 against a 52-week range of $4.00 (low from Flash Crash) to $11.42.

ProShares UltraShort MSCI Japan (NYSE: EWV) is up a whopping 15.6% at $39.30 against a 52-week range of $29.83 to $52.78… This one is 200% the inverse of the daily performance of the MSCI Japan Index.

United States Natural Gas (NYSE: UNG) is now up only 0.25% at $10.42 but this one was up as high as $10.78 earlier today.  The iPath DJ-UBS Natural Gas TR Sub-Index ETN (NYSE: GAZ) is also now ‘only’ up 0.57% at $7.09 but it was up as high as $7.31 earlier today.  Finally, the Teucrium Natural Gas ETV (NYSE: NAGS) is still up 3.1% at $22.97 but this one has extremely thin trading volume. 

Japan is one of those situations that is unfolding as a tragedy and it will have an impact on GDP ahead.  These are just the financial winners in exchange-traded products as far as what the stock market vote is today.

JON C. OGG