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4 ETF Areas Hit One-Year High Amid In-Line November Inflation

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The U.S. consumer price index recorded an annual inflation rate of 2.7% in November after increasing 0.3% on the month. The annual rate was 0.1 percentage point higher than October. Barring food and energy costs, the core CPI was at 3.3% on an annual basis and 0.3% monthly. All of the figures matched the forecasts, per a CNBC article.

Within food, the measure of cereals and bakery products dropped 1.1% in November, marking the single biggest monthly decline in the measure’s history going back to 1989. The report further strengthened the market outlook for a cut, with traders raising the odds to 99%, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch measure. Probability of a January reduction also went up, hitting about 23%.

Against this backdrop, below we highlight a few exchange-traded fund (ETF) areas that should gain in the near term.

ETF Areas to Gain

Growth Stocks – Russell Top 200 Growth iShares ETF (IWY - Free Report)

As the chances of a rate cut this month increased, several growth stocks and ETFs reached a 52-week high on Wednesday, as growth stocks tend to perform better in a low-rate environment. Note that growth stocks are typically valued based on future earnings potential. In a low- rate environment, the present value of those future earnings increases because future cash flows are discounted at a lower rate. The IWY ETF is up 16.4% in the past three-month period.

Consumer Discretionary – Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF (VCR - Free Report)

The ETF is heavy on Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) and Tesla (TSLA - Free Report) stocks, both of which gained on Wednesday amid in-line inflation data. Plus, low rates would be favorable for both consumers and corporations. When interest rates are low, they can borrow money at a lower cost and generate higher income. Several consumer discretionary ETFs hit a 52-week high on Wednesday. The VCR ETF added 24.4% over the past three months.

Restaurants – AdvisorShares Restaurant ETF (EATZ - Free Report)

The food away from index increased 3.6% annually in November, after increasing 0.3% in the month. The index for limited-service meals increased 3.7% over the past one year and the index for full-service meals rose 3.6% over the same period (read: 3 Sector ETFs & Stocks to Gain On Upbeat November Jobs Data).

This ETF is active and does not track a benchmark. The AdvisorShares Restaurant ETF is an actively managed exchange-traded fund that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets in securities of companies that derive at least 50% of their net revenue from the restaurant business. The ETF returned 17.8% over the past three months.

Large-Cap Option Overlay – Aptus Large Cap Enhanced Yield ETF (DUBS - Free Report)

The ETF DUBS offers exposure to a broad range of domestic large cap companies. The fund manages a disciplined option overlay with the goal of providing enhanced yield by writing out of the money calls, primarily on domestic indices (e.g., S&P 500 Index). The yield of the fund is 2.37% annually. The fund has gained 10.4% in the past three-month timeframe.


 

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