Treasury, Greece, and Cyber Security ETFs To Watch This Week

Stocks extended their two-week win streak to new all-time highs on Friday as economic data continued to show expected improvement.  In addition, several political hot spots including Greece and Russia appeared to show signs of progress towards a more stabile economic state.  

The holiday-shortened week ahead features several key economic releases including the monthly FOMC minutes, housing data, and weekly jobless claims.  

Here are the key ETFs to watch for the week of Monday, February 16:

iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT)

After peaking near the end of January, Treasury bonds have experienced a two week drop as interest rates press higher along with stocks.  The release of the monthly Fed minutes this week has the potential to introduce another layer of volatility in the long-dated Treasuries that make up TLT.  

This ETF recently pierced its 50-day moving average for the first time since last September and has now given back nearly 8 percent from its recent high.  Continued downward pressure in TLT may signal that fixed-income investors are anticipating the next tightening cycle in interest rates.  

Global X FTSE Greece 20 ETF (GREK)

Greek leaders were working feverishly through the weekend to try and negotiate terms with the country’s creditors.  The goal is to stabilize the economic fortunes of this debt-saddled nation.  

GREK has now risen significantly from its 2015 lows in anticipation of structural finance reforms.  This ETF tracks the 20 largest securities on the Athens Stock Exchange and has over $184 million in assets.

The outcome of these negotiations will likely be reflected in the price action of GREK this week and may have broader implications throughout Europe and other international markets.  

PureFunds ISE Cyber Security ETF (HACK)

The cyber security industry has been red-hot lately as companies such as CyberArk Software (CYBR) and FireEye (FEYE) reported strong earnings on continued corporate internet vulnerability.  

The stand-alone ETF tracking this burgeoning industry, HACK, jumped to new highs on Friday on the strongest volume of its short existence.  HACK has gained over 6 percent this year and is continuing to show relative strength versus broader technology sector indices.  

Investors are clearly taking notice of the potential growth in cyber crime, which may fuel further gains in 2015.