ETF winners and losers within the U.S. in 2022 (so far)

Best ETFs in 2022 thus far

1. UNG – United States Natural Gas Fund (+142.3% YTD)
2. UNA – United States Gasoline Fund (+89.2% YTD)
3. PXE – Invesco Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production ETF (+81.7% YTD)

UNG – United States Natural Gas Fund (+142.3% YTD)

• AUM: $618.8M
• Expense Ratio: 1.35%

This year, the United States Natural Gas Fund is the #1 performer in the U.S., designed to track the price movements of natural gas in percentage terms.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, natural gas prices have soared, given that Russia was a prominent exporter of natural gas, especially to Europe. Supply chains are in disarray at the same time that demand is resurging from the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions leading to multi-year highs in energy prices across the board.

UNA – United States Gasoline Fund (+89.2% YTD)

• AUM: $186.3M
• Expense Ratio: 0.75%

The #2 performer within the U.S. this year is the United States Gasoline Fund, which is designed to track gasoline price movements in percentage terms, similar to the United States Natural Gas Fund.

Along with natural gas, gasoline prices have surged. This has been more noticed by consumers around the world as many individuals rely on gasoline as fuel for their transportation. This manifests itself in higher overall price levels. Especially for businesses that use a significant amount of fuel to carry out their day-to-day operations.

PXE – Invesco Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production ETF (+81.7% YTD)

• AUM: $385.3M
• Expense Ratio: 0.95%

The #3 performer this year is Invesco Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production ETF, which tracks the Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production Intellidex Index. The index comprises of 30 U.S. companies involved in the exploration and production of natural resources to produce energy.

As mentioned, essentially all energy sources, from coal to crude oil, have seen a rampant price increase. This directly benefits companies that are involved in the exploration and production of these energy sources as they can sell their products at a higher margin.

Bottom ETFs of 2022 thus far

1. ERUS – iShares MSCI Russia ETF (-99.8% YTD)
2. FLRU – Franklin FTSE Russia ETF Dist (-99.7% YTD)
3. RSX – VanEck Vectors Russia ETF (-51.3% YTD)

ERUS – iShares MSCI Russia ETF

• AUM: $1.1M
• Expense Ratio: 0.57%

The #1 underperformer so far this year is Shares MSCI Russia ETF which seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of Russian equities.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has essentially isolated the Russian economy from the rest of the globe. International companies have withdrawn their Russian operations, and Russian companies have not seen any international capital support as default probabilities have skyrocketed within Russian equities. This has made Russian equities seen as essentially worthless as now this ETF holds mostly cash & cash equivalents.

FLRU – Franklin FTSE Russia ETF Dist (-99.7% YTD)

• AUM: $8.0k
• Expense Ratio: 0.19%

The #2 underperformer within the U.S. this year Franklin FTSE Russia ETF Dist, which seeks to provide investment results that correspond with the FTSE Russia Capped Index.

As mentioned, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made their stocks essentially un-investable for global investors.

RSX – VanEck Vectors Russia ETF (-51.3% YTD)

• AUM: $32.3M
• Expense Ratio: 0.61%

The #3 underperformer so far this year is VanEck Vectors Russia ETF. This was the U.S.’s first ETF focused on Russia. A common theme is the drawdown of Russia-related ETFs. In fact, this particular ETF has halted its trading since March 4 and has suspended the creation of new shares as of March 3.

Data for this article is as of June 10, 2022.