Energy ETFs

Energy ETFs List
(click on symbol for data and articles)

Global Energy ETFs
iShares S&P Global Energy Sector Index Fund (IXC)

Broad US Energy ETFs
iShares Dow Jones U.S. Energy Sector Index Fund (IYE)
iShares Goldman Sachs Natural Resources Index Fund (IGE)
Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE)
Vanguard Energy ETF (VDE)

Foreign Energy Sector ETFs
Claymore/SWM Canadian Energy Income ETF (ENY)
WisdomTree International Energy Sector Fund (DKA)

Energy Sub-Sector ETFs
BearLinx Alerian MLP Select Index ETN (BSR)
iShares Dow Jones U.S. Oil Equipment & Services Index Fund (IEZ)
iShares Dow Jones U.S. Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Index Fund (IEO)
Market Vectors Nuclear Energy ETF (NLR)
SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Equipment & Services ETF (XES)
SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP)
Merrill Lynch HOLDRS Oil Services Trust (OIH)

"Green" and Alternative Energy ETFs
Claymore Global Solar Energy ETF (TAN)
Claymore/LGA Green ETF (GRN)
First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge ETF (QCLN)
Market Vectors Environmental Services ETF (EVX)
PowerShares Cleantech Portfolio (PZD)
PowerShares Global Clean Energy Portfolio (PBD)
PowerShares WilderHill Clean Energy Portfolio (PBW)
PowerShares WilderHill Progressive Energy Portfolio (PUW)
Van Eck Global Alternative Energy ETF (GEX)

Equal Weight Energy Sector ETFs
Rydex S&P Equal Weight Energy ETF (RYE)

Fundamental Index Energy Sector ETFs
PowerShares FTSE RAFI Energy Sector Portfolio (PRFE)

Quant Strategy Energy Sector ETFs
First Trust Energy AlphaDEX Fund (FXN)
PowerShares Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production Portfolio (PXE)
PowerShares Dynamic Energy Sector Portfolio (PXI)

Leveraged Energy Sector ETFs
ProShares Ultra Oil & Gas ETF (DIG)

Inverse (Short) Energy Sector ETFs
ProShares UltraShort Oil & Gas (DUG)

What Are They?

• These ETFs cover the energy sector, namely companies involved in the discovery, extraction and production of energy, including alternative energy. Oil and gas are commodities and are listed separately under Commodity ETFs and ETNs.
• Sector ETFs come in four levels of granularity: (1) global, (2) US or international, (3) the main industry sub-groups that comprise the sector, and (4) narrower groups of companies within the sector.
• Specialty ETFs are also available for the energy sector, including leveraged, inverse, quant strategy, fundamental index and equal weighted ETFs. These ETFs are explained in their own sections of the ETF Finder; you can find the relevant links in Further Reading below. They usually use the primary US sector index.

Why & How To Use Them

• Sectors go in and out of style but tend to trend upwards at the same rate, so rebalancing between sectors can provide attractive opportunities. Long term investors may therefore want to build a diversified portfolio with enough granularity to provide opportunities for rebalancing using one of the sector ETF families listed in Primary US Sector ETFs or Global Sector ETFs. For more on rebalancing, see Further Reading below.
• If you believe that a particular sector will outperform, for example due to population aging or energy shortages, even as a long term investor you may want to overweight that sector. There are two ways to do that: (1) Assemple a diversified portfolio of broad ETFs (such as a total US market ETF, a broad foreign stock ETF and a broad bond ETF), and then add one or more of the ETFs on this page to increase exposure to this sector. (2) Build your portfolio using US sector ETFs or global sector ETFs and overweight one sector.
• Sector ETFs are popular with short term traders and momentum investors.

What to Look Out For

• While dominated by energy stocks, the iShares Goldman Sachs Natural Resources Index Fund (IGE) also includes paper & forest and mining stocks.
• Sector ETFs tend to be more concentrated than broad index ETFs. That means they can be more volatile, and can involve greater long term risk if the largest stocks in the ETF performs poorly.
• Sector ETFs tend to have higher expense ratios than broader index ETFs.
• Merrill Lynch HOLDRs are fixed baskets of stocks that become less and less representative of their sectors over time. The Internet HOLDRs ETF, for example, doesn't include Google.

Further Reading

• Articles on specific ETFs in this list: Claymore's New Canadian Energy ETF Blurs the Line Between Active/Passive Investing (Matt Hougan), Claymore's New Oil-Sands ETF (Roger Nusbaum), The World's First All-BS ETF (Greg Newton), Bear Stearns' New MLP ETN - Seeking Insight (Roger Nusbaum).
• Read more about alternative energy ETFs and oil and gas commodity ETFs.
• Narrow theme ETFs tend to have higher expenses and spreads than broader index ETFs. See Matt Hougan's Watch Expenses & Spreads For HealthShares, PowerShares, WisdomTree ETFs.
• It's generally agreed that expenses have a significant impact on long-run returns. However, Michael Krause argues that ETF Fees Are Largely Irrelevant and Roger Nusbaum agrees.
• Rebalancing is discussed in How to Make Money By Rebalancing and Rebalancing Rules. The case for and against sector ETFs for long term investors is outlined in Should You Use Sector ETFs?.
• For examples of sector-oriented commentary for short term traders and momentum investors, see articles by David Fry and Nick Perry.
• Read more about equal weight ETFs, fundamental sector ETFs, quant strategy ETFs, leveraged ETFs and inverse ETFs.

This page is part of The Seeking Alpha ETF Selector which sorts ETFs by type, highlights how to use them and what to look out for, and provides links to articles that discuss key issues for investors.

Comments

[flstearns]

UNG should be in your energy ETF list??

[SeekingAlphaEditors]

UNG (United States Natural Gas Fund LP) is a commodity ETF, so we listed it here:
etf.seekingalpha.com/a...

[DavidJackson]

Update: We just added the soon-to-launch Claymore Global Solar Energy ETF (TAN) to the list.

And in the further reading section, we added a link to Hard Asset Investor's article: New Solar ETFs: Here Come the Suns.

[triguy]

Is there an ETF for pure play Wind Companies?For example, where would BWEN fall, any funds hold that significantly?

[DavidJackson]

triguy, I don't think there are enough wind companies yet to form an ETF.