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The fund generally invests at least 90% of its assets in securities of the underlying index and in depositary receipts representing securities of the underlying index. The underlying index measures the performance of the basic materials sector of the U.S. equity market. The fund is non-diversified.

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Linde to supply clean hydrogen to Dow Inc.&#39;s Fort Saskatchewan Path2Zero Project in Canada, investing $2B for world&#39;s largest clean hydrogen production facility.

Linde Invests Over $2B For Clean Hydrogen, Inks Supply Deal With Dow: Details

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Saudi oil giant Aramco is buying a 50% stake in Air Products&#39; Blue Hydrogen Industrial Gases Company, boosting its hydrogen business and energy portfolio.

Why Air Products and Chemicals Shares Are Surging Today

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Insufficient supply is the key problem in America&#39;s housing market, causing record high prices. Increasing supply is a solution with potential market implications.

US Needs 1.5 Million More Homes To Tame Record Prices

Linde plc&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/LIN#NASDAQ">LIN</a>) shares are trading higher today. The company disclosed a long-term agreement to supply clean hydrogen to Dow Inc.&#8216;s (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/DOW#NYSE">DOW</a>) <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/24/08/ac40571189/linde-signs-long-term-agreement-to-supply-clean-hydrogen-to-dows-path2zero-project-in-canada" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fort Saskatchewan Path2Zero Project</a>.
The company plans to invest over $2 billion to build, own, and operate an integrated clean hydrogen and atmospheric gases facility in Alberta, Canada.
When completed in 2028, the new complex in Alberta will be Canada&#8217;s largest clean hydrogen production facility and one of the largest worldwide.
In the first phase, Linde will supply clean hydrogen, nitrogen, and other services to support Dow&#8217;s net-zero emissions integrated ethylene cracker and derivatives site.
Sanjiv Lamba, Chief Executive Officer, Linde, said, &#8220;This landmark project aligns with our strategy of developing high-quality projects with secured off-take. Our technology, experience and execution are enabling the transition to a cleaner economy.&#8221;
Additionally, Linde&#8217;s facility will supply clean hydrogen to industrial customers aiming to decarbonize. The complex will capture over 2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually for sequestration.
This will be Linde&#8217;s biggest single investment and its second world-scale clean hydrogen project, following its announcement on the U.S. Gulf Coast blue ammonia project.
Jim Fitterling, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Dow stated, &#8220;Our business strategy to decarbonize our assets and drive growth while enabling higher shareholder returns is central to Dow&#8217;s long-term success.&#8221;
Investors can gain exposure to LIN via&nbsp;IShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF&nbsp;(NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IYM#NYSE">IYM</a>) and&nbsp;Materials Select Sector SPDR (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/XLB#NYSE">XLB</a>).
Price Action: LIN shares are up 0.60% at $471.29 at the last check Tuesday.
Photo via Shutterstock
Read Next:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com//node/39954583" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chemicals Company Dow&#8217;s Q2 Earnings Disappoint Amid Challenging Market Conditions; Stock Slips</a></li>
</ul>
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/APD#NYSE">APD</a>) shares are trading higher today. Aramco has agreed to acquire a 50% stake in its Blue Hydrogen Industrial Gases <a href="https://www.aramco.com/en/news-media/news/2024/aramco-to-acquire-50-stake-in-air-products-qudras-blue-hydrogen-industrial-gases-company" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Company (BHIG)</a>.
In particular, Saudi Arabia&#8217;s largest oil company, Aramco, inked definitive deals to acquire a stake in BHIG, which is based in Jubail and a subsidiary of Air Products Qudra (APQ).
After the transaction, Aramco and APQ, a joint venture of Air Products and Qudra Energy, will each own 50% of BHIG.
The transaction is contingent on standard closing conditions and includes provisions for Aramco to secure hydrogen and nitrogen offtake options.
Aramco is expanding its lower-carbon hydrogen business and alternative energy portfolio through an investment in BHIG.
Dr. Samir J. Serhan, Air Products Qudra Chairman, commented, &#8220;It is an honor to further extend Air Products Qudra&#8217;s strong partnership with Aramco, working to accelerate the hydrogen economy and driving the creation of the largest hydrogen network in the Middle East, which is expected to serve the refining, chemical, and petrochemical industries.&#8221;
Ashraf Al Ghazzawi, Aramco Executive Vice President of Strategy &amp; Corporate Development, said, &#8220;We intend to leverage our growing capabilities in carbon capture and storage (CCS), as well as our technical expertise in hydrogen, with the ambition to support the establishment of a vibrant marketplace for lower-carbon hydrogen — helping lay the foundations of a future energy system.&#8221;
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/07/39709835/honeywells-1-81b-power-play-acquires-air-products-lng-tech-to-lead-energy-transition" rel="noreferrer noopener">Honeywell&#8217;s $1.81B Power Play: Acquires Air Products&#8217; LNG Tech to Lead Energy Transition</a>
Investors can gain exposure to APD via&nbsp;IShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF&nbsp;(NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IYM#NYSE">IYM</a>) and Materials Select Sector SPDR (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/XLB#NYSE">XLB</a>).
Price Action: APD shares are up 3.49% at $268.91 at the last check Tuesday.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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What is the key to bringing home sale volume up and home prices down? America&#8217;s current problem is insufficient supply, according to a new report outlining trends in the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/housing-market">U.S. housing market</a>.
The Data: Freddie Mac&#8217;s May macroeconomic <a href="https://www.freddiemac.com/research/forecast/20240516-economic-growth-moderated-start-year?utm_source=www.resiclubanalytics.com&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=u-s-housing-market-is-1-5-million-housing-units-below-a-balanced-market-finds-freddie-mac">report</a> examined key trends in the housing and mortgage market.
While 2024&#8217;s <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/top-stories/24/06/39391685/fed-members-cool-on-raising-interest-rates-these-conditions-could-take-months-and-more-likely-quarte">higher-for-longer interest rate</a> environment remains the most obvious obstacle to lowering home prices, the report emphasized supply as a means to restore the market to balance.
According to the report, vacancy rates—a very low 0.8% for housing and 6.6% for renters—must be restored in line with historical averages to make a dent in housing prices. In the first quarter of 2024, the total number of for-sale and for-rent units was 1.5 million below the balanced supply.
Why it Matters: Home prices have reached record levels in 2024. In June, the median sale price of a U.S. home hit an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/real-estate/24/06/39337282/u-s-home-prices-hit-record-high-as-mortgage-rates-start-to-decline">all-time high</a>&nbsp;of $394,000. The median price for renting has <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/real-estate/23/06/32719718/despite-high-rental-rates-americans-are-putting-off-home-buying-in-record-numbers">also risen steadily</a> in recent months, albeit showing some signs of slowing. 
The rising price of homes has made the American dream of owning a home unsustainable for many Americans, especially members of Generation Z.
Increasing the U.S. housing supply is a logical solution to bringing housing prices down and making shelter affordable for most Americans.
Market Implications: Companies involved in residential construction stand to benefit if there&#8217;s a push to increase housing supply. These include major homebuilders such as D.R. Horton Inc (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/DHI#NYSE">DHI</a>), Lennar Corp (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/LEN#NYSE">LEN</a>) and PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PHM#NYSE">PHM</a>). Increased demand for new housing units could drive up their revenues.
The iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (BATS:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ITB#BATS">ITB</a>) and the SPDR S&amp;P Homebuilders ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/XHB#NYSE">XHB</a>) are among the largest exchange-traded funds tracking the home construction sector. The iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IYM#NYSE">IYM</a>) tracks materials, some of which are used in construction.
Read Next:
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<li> <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/24/06/39462050/draftkings-offers-10k-prediction-pool-for-trump-biden-presidential-debate-11-questions-abo">DraftKings Offers $10K Prediction Pool For Trump, Biden Presidential Debate: 11 Questions About Immigration, Inflation, Putin And More</a></li>
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Image generated using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/APD#NYSE">APD</a>) shares are trading higher after it inked a 15-year agreement with TotalEnergies SE (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TTE#NYSE">TTE</a>) to supply 70,000 tons of green hydrogen <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/24/06/n39226464/decarbonization-of-european-refineries-a-first-agreement-signed-between-totalenergies-and-air-prod" rel="noreferrer noopener">annually in Europe, starting in 2030</a>.
Under the agreement, Air Products will supply green hydrogen to TotalEnergies&#8217; Northern European refineries, reducing CO2 emissions by 700,000 tons annually.
This first long-term deal follows TotalEnergies&#8217; call for tenders to supply 500,000 tons of green hydrogen per year to decarbonize its European refineries.
This contract supports TotalEnergies&#8217; goal of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions from its operations (Scope 1+2) by 40% by 2030 compared to 2015 levels.
Also, Air Products has committed over $15 billion to large-scale energy transition projects and launched several major low-carbon hydrogen initiatives worldwide, establishing itself as a reliable supplier.
Simultaneously, TotalEnergies and Air Products penned a memorandum of understanding for the supply of renewable power, including an initial Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for 150 MW from a solar project in Texas.
The companies also plan to further explore PPA opportunities in the U.K., Poland, and France.
Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies said, &#8220;This deal with Air Products, the first signed following the call for tenders launched last year, is a steppingstone towards our goal of decarbonizing the hydrogen used in TotalEnergies&#8217; refineries in&nbsp;Northern Europe&nbsp;by the end of the decade.&#8221;
&#8220;Once again, we demonstrate our capacity to pioneer the energy transition and contribute to the emergence of a green hydrogen industry by offering long-term contracts with our six refineries and two biorefineries in&nbsp;Europe.&#8221;
Air Products&#8217; Chairman, President and CEO&nbsp;Seifi Ghasemi commented, &#8220;We always believed that if we made clean hydrogen available at commercial scale, the demand would be there. This contract validates our long-term strategy. Clearly the demand is here, and it will grow significantly as we move forward, playing an essential role in decarbonizing heavy industry and other sectors.&#8221;&nbsp;
Investors can gain exposure to APD via IShares Energy Storage &amp; Materials ETF (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IBAT#NASDAQ">IBAT</a>) and IShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IYM#NYSE">IYM</a>).
Price Action: APD shares are up 3.66% at $279.58 at the last check Friday.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo via Shutterstock

IBAT

Why Air Products And Chemicals Shares Are Gaining Today

On CNBC's &#8220;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/video/2024/05/02/final-trades-samsara-prologis-and-the-xle.html">Halftime Report Final Trades</a>,&#8221; Stephen L. Weiss of Short Hills Capital Partners said Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NFLX#NASDAQ">NFLX</a>) is <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/entertainment/24/04/38510569/the-netflix-effect-how-drive-to-survive-is-diversifying-f1s-fanbase">back on its way</a>.
On April 18, the streaming service reported first-quarter revenue of $9.37 billion — up 14.8% year-over-year. The revenue beat a Street consensus estimate of $9.275 billion, according to data from Benzinga Pro. 
The Los Gatos, California-based company reported earnings per share of $5.28 for the quarter, which beat a Street consensus estimate of $4.51.
Kevin&nbsp;Simpson of Capital Wealth Planning said The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/HD#NYSE">HD</a>) has a 2.6% dividend yield.
The Home Depot is expected to hold its first-quarter earnings conference call on Tuesday, May 14. Analysts expect the company to report quarterly earnings at $3.6 per share, up from $3.4 per share in the year-ago quarter. Home Depot is projected to post revenue of $36.67 billion for the quarter.
On April 11, Home Depot will continue its relationship with Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOGL#NASDAQ">GOOGL</a>) Google Cloud to help customers in their home improvement projects. The two companies have collaborated closely since 2015 to innovate retail technology, whether in-store, online, or most often, a <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/04/38202786/home-depot-extends-google-cloud-partnership-to-include-ai-capabilities">blend of the two interactions.</a>
Don't forget to check out our <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/premarket/">premarket coverage here</a> 
Shannon Saccocia of NB Private Wealth named iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IYM#NYSE">IYM</a>) as her final trade.
Price Action:
<ul>
<li>Netflix shares rose 2.5% to close at $579.34 on Friday.</li>
<li>iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF gained 0.9% during Friday's session.</li>
<li>Home Depot shares rose 2.2% to settle at $342.85 on Friday.</li>
</ul>
Check This Out: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/05/38611902/wall-streets-most-accurate-analysts-views-on-3-tech-telecom-stocks-delivering-high-dividend-yields">Wall Street&#8217;s Most Accurate Analysts&#8217; Views On 3 Tech &amp; Telecom Stocks Delivering High-Dividend Yields</a>
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CNBC Halftime Report Final Trades: The Home Depot, Netflix, IShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF

Fastenal Company&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/FAST#NASDAQ">FAST</a>) shares are trading lower after the company reported first-quarter FY24 sales growth of 1.9% Y/Y to $1.895 billion,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/24/04/b38198386/fastenal-company-reports-2024-first-quarter-earnings" rel="noreferrer noopener">missing the consensus of $1.914 billion</a>.
Net daily sales growth increased 1.9% Y/Y to $29.6 million. The company experienced higher unit sales in the first quarter of 2024 primarily led by growth with larger customers and Onsite locations opened in the last two years.&nbsp;
Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend signings (MEUs) rose 14.0% Y/Y to 6,726; Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend installations rose 10.5% Y/Y.
FAST's Digital Footprint represented 59.2% of sales in the quarter, an increase from 54.1% in the first quarter of 2023.
The gross margin contracted to 45.5% from 45.7% owing to the negative impact of customer and product mix.
Operating income was $390.2 million (-0.8% Y/Y), and the margin was 20.6%, a decline from 21.2% in the same quarter of 2023.
The company's first-quarter EPS was $0.52,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/calendars/earnings" rel="noreferrer noopener">missing the consensus of $0.53.</a>
Fastenal's operating cash flow for the quarter was $335.6 million, a decrease of 13.6% Y/Y.
The company held cash and equivalents of $237.1 million as of March 31, 2024.
Dividend:&nbsp;The company declared a dividend per share of $0.39, payable on May 23, 2024, to shareholders of record at the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/24/04/b38191479/fastenal-company-announces-cash-dividend" rel="noreferrer noopener">close of business on April 25, 2024</a>.
The company signed 102 new Onsite locations in the quarter and had 1,872 active sites on March 31, 2024 (+11.8% Y/Y).
Daily sales through the Onsite locations, excluding sales transferred from branches to new Onsites, grew at a low single-digit rate in the first quarter of 2024.&nbsp;
Outlook: For 2024, Fastenal continues to expect Onsite signings of 375 to 400 and weighted FASTBin and FASTVend device&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/calendars/guidance" rel="noreferrer noopener">signings to be 26,000 to 28,000 MEUs</a>.
Investors can gain exposure to the stock via&nbsp;Motley Fool Mid-Cap Growth ETF&nbsp;(BATS:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TMFM#BATS">TMFM</a>) and&nbsp;IShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF&nbsp;(NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IYM#NYSE">IYM</a>).
Also Read:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/earnings/24/04/38177765/fastenal-gears-up-for-q1-print-here-are-the-recent-forecast-changes-from-wall-streets-most-accurate" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fastenal Gears Up For Q1 Print; Here Are The Recent Forecast Changes From Wall Street&#8217;s Most Accurate Analysts</a>
Price Action: FAST shares are down 4.47% at $71.40 premarket on the last check Thursday.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons

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Why Industrial And Construction Supplies Distributor Fastenal's Shares Are Down Today

Coal prices have risen in the past couple of days since the Port of Baltimore was closed following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, cutting off <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/supply-chain">many of the port&#8217;s facilities</a>.
The price of a ton of U.S. coal rose by 0.6% on Thursday to $113.25. Meanwhile, the Range Global Coal ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/COAL#NYSE">COAL</a>), which tracks several different miners of differing grades of coal, rose 0.7% to $22.81, and is up 2.7% over the last two trading sessions.
Consol Energy Inc (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CEIX#NYSE">CEIX</a>) is one of the biggest exporters through the port&#8217;s coal terminal. The Pennsylvania-based company <a href="https://investors.consolenergy.com/2024-03-26-CONSOL-Energy-Issues-Notice-on-Francis-Scott-Key-Bridge-Collapse-in-Baltimore,-MD">said</a> following the incident that it was working with port authorities to restore access to the terminal.
It added, however: &#8220;At this moment, we do not have a definitive timeline of when vessel access or normal operations will resume. We are looking at all available options to us to minimize or address direct and indirect impacts to the Company and its operations.&#8221;
Consol&#8217;s shares fell nearly 7% on Tuesday, but recovered some ground in subsequent sessions.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="750" height="650" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/28141239/newplot-2024-03-28T181215.183.png" alt="" class="wp-image-269681" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/28141239/newplot-2024-03-28T181215.183.png 750w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/28141239/newplot-2024-03-28T181215.183-300x260.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" /></figure>
Also Read: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/03/37961583/tesla-gm-ford-supply-chain-concerns-baltimore-port-closure-going-to-have-an-impact">Tesla, GM, Ford Supply Chain Concerns: Baltimore Port Closure &#8216;Going To Have An Impact&#8217;</a>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Coal Export Hub</h2>
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) <a href="https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61663">said</a> the port is the second-largest coal exporting hub in the country, accounting for 28% of total coal exports in 2023. Much of this is delivered to Asia.
The EIA warned: &#8220;The interruption in operations in Baltimore may affect the volume of exports this year.&#8221;
Baltimore&#8217;s coal terminal is attractively situated to receive coal from the northern Appalachia fields in western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia, which produce both premium quality metallurgical for steel production and smelting, and steam coal for use in power stations.
Shipments of the predominant steam coal from Baltimore averaged 12 million tons between 2019-22, but surged to 19 million in 2023 after rising demand from Asia, particularly India. 
The EIA concluded: &#8220;Other nearby ports, most notably Hampton Roads, have additional capacity to export coal, although factors including coal quality, pricing, and scheduling will affect how easily companies can switch to exporting from another port.&#8221;
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Metal Imports</h2>
Baltimore is not only a hub for exporting commodities, it is also a key destination for U.S. imports, with cobalt among the metals — with over half of total shipments arriving in Baltimore.
In addition, Baltimore was the third-largest destination for imports of unwrought primary aluminum last year. 
On commodity exchanges, the price of aluminum futures rose 2% on Thursday as the market faced supply chain glitches. The iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IYM#NYSE">IYM</a>), which tracks producers of metals and other raw materials, has gained 2.1% over the past couple of session.
Meanwhile, shipments of tin, copper and zinc are also expected to face delays as other ports are found to receive the extra capacity.
Now Read: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/government/24/03/37969025/baltimore-bridge-ship-collisions-not-uncommon-5-more-u-s-fatal-accidents">Baltimore Bridge: Ship Collisions Not Uncommon — 5 More US Fatal Accidents</a>
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Baltimore Port Shutdown Triggers Coal Price Hike: Energy Information Administration Warns Of Export Disruptions

Amid growing supply constraints and undervalued stock prices, value investors are gravitating towards mining stocks, seeking to capitalize on a market dislocation poised for a readjustment. 
Taylor McKenna, CFA analyst at Kopernik Global Investors LLC, shared insights at a Benzinga virtual event on Thursday, highlighting the significant gap between metal commodity prices and the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/events/mining-unearthed-2024/">valuation of mining companies.</a>
Watch The Full Benzinga Virtual Event – Mining Unearthed: Navigating the Ore of Innovation!
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Gold Stocks At A Discount Despite Rising Gold Prices</h3>
McKenna pointed out the stark disconnection in the market, with gold trading above $2,000 per ounce while gold stocks are priced at a discount of 50 to 80%. This discrepancy presents a unique opportunity for investors, according to McKenna, who is &#8220;very happy to take advantage of this currently&#8221;. 
He noted the decline in capital expenditure among mining companies to 80% of what was spent a decade or more ago, forecasting severe supply constraints for various metals.
&#8220;What&#8217;s really exciting for us is that valuations are reaching extremes,&#8221; McKenna said. 
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Newmont Corp: A Case Study in Undervaluation</h3>
McKenna underscored Newmont Corp.&#8216;s (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NEM#NYSE">NEM</a>) 60% stock price drop from the previous year, despite a 10% rise in gold prices. 
Contrary to concerns of value destruction, McKenna praised Newmont&#8217;s acquisition of Newcrest Mining last year as &#8216;a steal&#8217; for the company. 
He argued that Newmont&#8217;s valuation has actually increased.
&#8220;Currently, you can buy gold in the ground at the largest gold producer with the longest mine lives for under $200.00 an ounce. Even if you add lifting cost and then a margin on top of that, it&#8217;s still well below the current gold price of $2,000,&#8221; McKenna said. 
Chart: Newmont Trades At Extreme Discount Compared To Gold Prices 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="495" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/15161514/image-35-1024x495.png" alt="" class="wp-image-218119" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/15161514/image-35-1024x495.png 1024w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/15161514/image-35-300x145.png 300w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/15161514/image-35-768x372.png 768w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/15161514/image-35-1536x743.png 1536w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/15161514/image-35.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Stronger Balance Sheets, Positive Outlook</h3>
McKenna also commended the improved financial health of larger mining firms. He noted their cleaner balance sheets and net cash positions. 
Gold miners&#8217; valuations are already at historic lows relative to the price of gold. McKenna sees even more upside potential if precious metal prices climb further, driven by industry-wide supply constraints.
Addressing the question of Wall Street&#8217;s apparent oversight of this dislocation, McKenna expressed confidence that &#8220;eventually investors will wake up to this.&#8221; 
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">List of ETFs Holding Newmont Corp.</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"> 
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>ETF Name</td>
<td>↓ Weight %</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>iShares, Inc. &#8211; iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/RING#NYSE">RING</a>)</td>
<td>19.05%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>VanEck ETF Trust &#8211; VanEck Gold Miners ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GDX#NYSE">GDX</a>)</td>
<td>13.20%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Sprott Funds Trust &#8211; Sprott Gold Miners ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SGDM#NYSE">SGDM</a>)</td>
<td>11.10%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>WisdomTree Trust &#8211; WisdomTree Efficient Gold Plus Gold Miners Strategy Fund (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GDMN#NYSE">GDMN</a>)</td>
<td>8.06%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>SPDR Index Shares Funds &#8211; SPDR S&amp;P North American Natural Resources ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NANR#NYSE">NANR</a>)</td>
<td>5.88%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>iShares, Inc. &#8211; iShares MSCI Global Silver and Metals Miners Fund (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SLVP#NYSE">SLVP</a>)</td>
<td>4.49%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>iShares Trust &#8211; iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IYM#NYSE">IYM</a>)</td>
<td>4.43%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</figure>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Benzinga"></a>Now Read: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/24/02/37139816/2008-big-short-oracle-burry-bets-big-on-chinese-giants-backs-google-amazons-ai-wave">2008 &#8216;Big Short&#8217; Oracle Burry Bets Big On Chinese Giants, Backs Google, Amazon&#8217;s AI Wave</a>
Image: Pixabay

Analyst Color

Mid Cap

Events

Exclusives

GDMN

Market Vectors ETF Trust Market Vectors Gold Miners

NANR

RING

SGDM

SLVP

EXCLUSIVE: Value Investor Is 'Very Happy To Take Advantage' Of Top Gold Miner At Historical Discount

Rumors

Politics

Global

Canada-US Border Crossing In Manitoba Blocked By Anti-Vaccine Mandate Protest

JC O&#39;Hara of MKM Partners and Gina Sanchez of Chantico Global and Lido Advisors spoke on <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/video/2021/07/29/infrastructure-stocks-to-watch-as-bill-advances-through-congress.html">CNBC&#39;s &quot;Trading Nation&quot;</a> about stocks that could benefit from the infrastructure bill.
Sanchez said the bill is broad enough to push higher Global X US Infrastructure Development ETF (BATS: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/pave#BATS">PAVE</a>), but she wants to focus on the materials. She likes broad material ETFs like iShares US Basic Materials ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/iym#NYSE">IYM</a>). Among the individual names, she would pick BHP Group Ltd (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/bhp#NYSE">BHP</a>), Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/vmc#NYSE">VMC</a>) and Cleveland-Cliffs Inc (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/clf#NYSE">CLF</a>).
O&#39;Hara wants to follow the money. He noticed that large portions of cash in this bill are allocated to the power infrastructure and water. He would buy utilities to get exposure to the power infrastructure and American Water Works Company Inc (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/awk#NYSE">AWK</a>) for the exposure in the water space. O&#39;Hara likes American Water Works because it&#39;s breaking out and because of its dividend growth. Its dividend is growing about 10% a year.

PAVE

'Trading Nation' Traders Share Their Infrastructure Picks

On CNBC&#39;s &quot;Fast Money Halftime Report,&quot; the investment committee gave their final trades.
Market Rebellion Co-Founder Jon Najarian likes Jumia Technologies AG (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/jmia#NYSE">JMIA</a>).
Pivotal Advisors Founder Tiffany McGhee likes&nbsp;Walt Disney Co&nbsp;(NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/dis#NYSE">DIS</a>) ahead of the company&#39;s earnings next week and&nbsp;she expects good things.
BNY Mellon&#39;s Liz Young likes iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/iym#NYSE">IYM</a>) and believes the build-back-better-plan brings an Infrastructure package we&#39;ve been waiting for.
Virtus Investment Partners&#39; Joe Terranova likes PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/pypl#NASDAQ">PYPL</a>)&nbsp;and notes the average price target is sitting right where the current price is. He also noted the stock has received a couple of upgrades and believes it goes much higher.
Ritholtz Wealth Management CEO Josh Brown also likes PayPal&nbsp;and believes this could be one of the largest financial services companies in the world.

JMIA

PYPL

'Halftime Report' Final Trades Of The Day: PayPal, Disney And Jumia

The materials sector is garnering a lot of investor attention lately. Industrial Metals have been rebounding on greater global optimism. This is primarily due to robust global growth cues and strong demand. Manufacturing has been picking up pace globally and driving demand for metals.

	Cause for Appeal

	On Oct 19, the Senate passed a budget of $4 trillion in a 51-49 vote, which will allow the Republicans to move ahead with the tax cuts with a simple majority instead of the 60-vote supermajority that is generally required. Moreover, this has increased investor optimism about President Donald Trump delivering on his promises of greater infrastructure spending, which is expected to give a boost to the materials sector (read: <a href="https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/279566/GOP-Nears-Tax-Reform-Buy-These-ETFs">GOP Nears Tax Reform: Buy These ETFs</a>).

	Per the Commerce department, construction spending increased 0.3% in September on a monthly basis to $1.22 trillion. It grew 2% on a year-over-year basis.

	Moreover, strong earnings performance has contributed to gains in the sector. U.S. economic fundamentals seem to be strong. GDP increased 3% annually in the July-September period compared with a 3.1% increase in the third quarter.

	Let us now discuss two ETFs focused on providing exposure to the sector.

	Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF XLB

	This fund seeks to provide exposure to materials stocks and tracks the Materials Select Sector Index. It has AUM of $4.4 billion and charges a moderate fee of 14 basis points a year. It has 25 holdings and bears significant concentration risk as over 68.7% of the assets are allocated to the top 10 holdings.

	From a sector look, the fund has high exposure to Chemicals, Containers &amp; Packaging and Metals &amp; Mining, with 72.9%, 13.2% and 9.2% exposure, respectively (as of Sep 30, 2017). The fund&#39;s top three holdings are DowDuPont Inc. DWDP, Monsanto Co. MON and Praxair Inc PX with 22.9%, 8.0% and 6.5% allocation, respectively (as of Nov 7, 2017).&nbsp; The fund has returned 26.4% in a year and 18.0% year to date (as of Nov 7, 2017). XLB has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 (Hold) with a Medium risk outlook.

	iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF IYM

	This fund seeks to provide exposure to materials stocks and tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Basic Materials Index. It has AUM of $967.3 million and charges a fee of 44 basis points a year. It has 50 holdings and bears significant concentration risk as over 66.5% of the assets are allocated to the top 10 holdings.

	From a sector look, the fund has high exposure to Diversified Chemicals, Specialty Chemicals and Fertilizers &amp; Agricultural Chemicals, with 28.6%, 22.7% and 12.7% exposure, respectively (as of Nov 6, 2017). The fund&#39;s top three holdings are DowDuPont Inc., Monsanto Co. and Praxair Inc with 24.2%, 7.8% and 6.2% allocation, respectively (as of Nov 6, 2017). The fund has returned 28.7% in a year and 19.3% year to date (as of Nov 7, 2017). IYM has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 with a High risk outlook.

	Bottom Line

	XLB is more popular than IYM, as is evident from its higher AUM. Moreover, it also may be more appealing to investors owing to its cheaper expense ratio.&nbsp; However, IYM has a more diversified exposure in terms of number of holdings.

	Moreover, both the funds have had relatively similar year-to-date performance. IYM returned 1.3% more than XLB so far this year whereas in a year, IYM outperformed XLB by 2.3%. With growing developments in the sector, these ETFs are poised to offer great growth potential. However, since the factors driving growth in this sector are still exposed to a great deal of uncertainty, a more popular ETF like XLB might help alleviate some of the political uncertainties prevailing in the region.

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	&nbsp; 
	<a href="http://www.zacks.com/registration/pfp?ALERT=ZER_LINK&amp;d_alert=ZER_LINK&amp;t=MON&amp;ADID=BENZ_CONTENT_ZER_ARTCAT_ETF_NEWS_AND_COMMENTARY&amp;cid=CS-BENZ-FT-282270">Monsanto Company (NYSE: </a><a class="ticker" href="/stock/mon#NYSE">MON</a>): Free Stock Analysis Report 
	&nbsp; 
	<a href="http://www.zacks.com/registration/pfp?ALERT=ZER_LINK&amp;d_alert=ZER_LINK&amp;t=DWDP&amp;ADID=BENZ_CONTENT_ZER_ARTCAT_ETF_NEWS_AND_COMMENTARY&amp;cid=CS-BENZ-FT-282270">Dow Chemical Company (The) (DWDP): Free Stock Analysis Report</a> 
	&nbsp; 
	<a href="http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/282270/materials-etfs-head-to-head-xlb-vs-iym?cid=CS-BENZ-FT-282270">To read this article on Zacks.com click here.</a> 
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Materials ETFs Head To Head: XLB Vs. IYM

DowDuPont Inc. <a href="http://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/DWDP">DWDP</a>, created from the merger of Dow Chemical and DuPont on Aug 31, reported mixed third-quarter results. While the company met our earnings estimate, revenues beat.
	Quick Look to Earnings
DowDuPont Inc. DWDP, created from the merger of Dow Chemical and DuPont on Aug 31, reported mixed third-quarter results. While the company met our earnings estimate, revenues beat.
	Quick Look to Earnings
	Earnings per share came in at 55 cents, matching the Zacks Consensus Estimate but increasing 10% from the year-ago earnings. Revenues climbed 7.7% year over year to $18.3 billion and surpassed our estimate of $17.5 billion (read: <a href="https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/276893/5-sector-etfs-for-revenue-growth-play">5 Sector ETFs for Revenue Growth Play</a>).
	The company remained focused on its $3 billion cost synergy target, stemming from $1 billion in Agriculture, $1.2 billion in Materials Science and $0.8 billion in Specialty Products. These cost savings are expected to generate through procurement savings, layoffs, buildings and facilities consolidation, and shutting down selected assets. Additionally, the company is in the process of integrating the three divisions and their separation into three independent companies. The breakup is expected to take place within 18 months of the merger closing.
	Market Impact
	Shares of DWDP dropped 1.7% on the day following the earnings announcement. The stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and a VGM Style Score of A. Plus it belongs to a solid industry having Zacks Rank in the <a href="https://www.zacks.com/stocks/industry-rank/industry/chemical-diversified-34">top 26%</a>, indicating growth potential.
	Given this, ETFs having large allocation to this chemical giant will be in focus in the days ahead. The drop in DWDP shares has led to sluggish trading in these ETFs as well. Below, we have highlighted them in detail. These funds have a Zacks ETF Rank #3 (see: <a href="https://www.zacks.com/funds/etfs/etf-categories/Materials-ETFs-15">all the Materials ETFs here</a>):
	iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF IYM
	This ETF tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Basic Materials Index and holds 50 stocks in its basket. The fund has AUM of $956.3 million and charges 44 bps in fees and expenses. Volume is good as it exchanges around 182,000 shares a day. DowDuPont occupies the top position in the basket making up for one-fourth of the portfolio. The product is heavily skewed toward the chemical segment with three-fourth of the portfolio, while industrial gases, steel, and metals &amp; mining receive minor allocation each. It lost 0.7% on the day.
	Materials Select Sector SPDR XLB
	The most-popular material ETF follows the Materials Select Sector Index. This fund manages about $4.5 billion in its asset base and trades in volumes as heavy as around 4.1 million. The ETF charges 14 bps in fees per year from investors. In total, the fund holds about 25 securities in its basket with DWDP taking the top spot, with nearly 23.2% allocation. In terms of industrial exposure, chemicals dominates the portfolio with 73.4% share while containers &amp; packaging, and metals &amp; mining round off the top three positions. XLB shed 0.7% on the day.
	Vanguard Materials ETF VAW
	This fund has amassed about $2.2 billion in its asset base and offers exposure to 118 stocks by tracking the MSCI US Investable Market Materials 25/50 Index. The ETF has 0.10% in expense ratio while volume is moderate at 88,000 shares. Here too, DowDuPont is the top firm accounting for nearly 18.1% share. Chemicals makes up for nearly three-fifths of the portfolio, while container &amp; packaging and steel offer a nice mix in the portfolio. The ETF has lost 0.6% (read: <a href="https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/272330/trump-passes-order-to-fix-us-infrastructure-etfs-in-focus">Trump Passes Order to Fix U.S. Infrastructure: ETFs in Focus</a>).
	Fidelity MSCI Materials Index ETF FMAT
	This fund provides exposure to 118 materials stocks with AUM of $273.4 million. This is done by tracking the MSCI USA IMI Materials Index. Here too, DWDP is the top two firm with 18.4% allocation. Chemicals accounts for 67.9%, while container &amp; packaging, and metals &amp; mining round off the top three spots with a double-digit exposure each. The ETF has 0.08% in expense ratio while volume is moderate at more than 56,000 shares a day. It was down 0.6%.
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	&nbsp; 
	<a href="http://www.zacks.com/registration/pfp?ALERT=ZER_LINK&amp;d_alert=ZER_LINK&amp;t=DWDP&amp;ADID=BENZ_CONTENT_ZER_ARTCAT_ETF_NEWS_AND_COMMENTARY&amp;cid=CS-BENZ-FT-281710">Dow Chemical Company (The) (DWDP): Free Stock Analysis Report</a> 
	&nbsp; 
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DWDP

FMAT

Material ETFs In Focus On DowDuPont's Mixed Q3 Results

Technicals

STLD

Piper's Johnson Highlights, In Basic Materials, Firm is Buyers of Steel, Specialty Chemicals, Ag/Fert Names

<a href="https://soundcloud.com/bztv">#PreMarket Prep</a> is a daily trading idea radio show hosted by <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/author/joel-elconin">Joel Elconin</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/TripleDTrader">Dennis Dick</a>. Tune in to the daily broadcast live Monday-Friday at 8 a.m. ET <a href="http://premarket.benzinga.com/pre-market-show/">here</a>.
On Wednesday, Benzinga's #PreMarket Prep hosts started the show looking into the Dow Chemical Co (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dow#NYSE">DOW</a>) - E I Du Pont De Nemours And Co (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dd#NYSE">DD</a>) merger.
According to a <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/dow-chemical-and-dupont-are-in-advanced-talks-to-merge-1449621799">Wall Street Journal article</a> published on late-Tuesday, Dow Chemical and DuPont are in advanced discussions to merge, and then break up the combined company into three separate ones: an agriculture company, materials/materials sciences company and a specialty products company.
<bzrelatedlink>Related Link: <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/15/12/6033777/dow-chemical-dupont-shares-explode-after-mother-of-all-m">Dow Chemical, DuPont Shares Explode After &#39;Mother Of All&#39; Merger Report</a></bzrelatedlink>
While no official announcement was released at that time, the stocks reacted very positively to the rumor. Dow Chemical was up 11.96 percent on Wednesday trading, hitting an all-time high, while DuPont rose 11.85 percent.
Now, as the shares of these companies are already up substantially on the merger rumors, how can investors play this news?
<h3>ETFs</h3>
A few ETFs have huge holdings in both these companies, Elconin and Dick assured. A few names include:
<ul>
<li>
		Materials Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/xlb#NYSE">XLB</a>), which has an 11.52 percent holding in Dow Chemical and an 11.62 percent exposure to DuPont.</li>
<li>
		iShares Dow Jones US Basic Mater. (ETF) (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/iym#NYSE">IYM</a>), with more than 11 percent exposure to each of these companies.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Other Names</h3>
Other chemical companies that could also get a lift from the news include:
<ul>
<li>
		Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/emn#NYSE">EMN</a>), which rose 2.87 percent on Wednesday trading.</li>
<li>
		Westlake Chemical Corporation (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/wlk#NYSE">WLK</a>), up 2.57 percent.</li>
<li>
		Praxair, Inc. (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/px#NYSE">PX</a>), up 0.32 percent&lt;./li>
</li></ul>
Disclosure: Javier Hasse holds no positions in any of the securities mentioned above.
Image Credit: <a href="https://pixabay.com/en/factory-production-industry-186847/">Public Domain</a>

Long Ideas

Interview

Sympathy Ways To Play Chemical Space M&A Amid Dow Chemical-DuPont Merger Rumor

Year-to-date, the Materials Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/xlb#NYSE">XLB</a>) is down 7.8 percent, good for the second-worst among the nine legacy sector SPDR exchange traded funds, but XLB and rival materials ETFs could be in for some near-term relief on the back of major mergers and acquisitions news.

	After the close of U.S. markets Tuesday, the <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/dow-chemical-and-dupont-are-in-advanced-talks-to-merge-1449621799">Wall Street Journal</a> reported DuPont Co. (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dd#NYSE">DD</a>) and rival Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dow#NYSE">DOW</a>) are in merger talks described as &quot;advanced.&quot;

	DuPont and Dow Chemical are XLB&#39;s largest and second-largest holdings, respectively, combining for 23.4 percent of the $2.11 billion ETF&#39;s weight. The iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/iym#NYSE">IYM</a>) has a combined weight of 22.4 percent to the two materials giants while the Vanguard Materials ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/vaw#NYSE">VAW</a>) dedicated 15.7 percent of its combined weight to DuPont and Dow Chemical at the end of October.

	Related Link: <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/15/12/6033777/dow-chemical-dupont-shares-explode-after-mother-of-all-m">Dow Chemical, DuPont Shares Explode After &#39;Mother Of All&#39; Merger Report</a>

	A combined Dow Chemical/DuPont &quot;would create a giant with more than $90 billion in combined sales and strong positions in everything from plastics to industrial chemicals and agriculture,&quot; according to WSJ.

	Of the nearly 80 ETFs that holds shares of DuPont, none of have larger weights to the stock than XLB. Roughly 70 ETFs have exposure to Dow Chemical with XLB also boasting the largest exposure to the chemicals giant.

	Another ETF for investors keep in an eye as the Dow/DuPont marriage moves toward confirmation or a breakup is the Guggenheim S&amp;P 500 Equal-Weight Materials ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/rtm#NYSE">RTM</a>). DuPont and Dow Chemical are RTM&#39;s second- and fourth-largest holdings, respectively, combining for 9.4 percent of the ETF&#39;s weight, according to <a href="http://guggenheiminvestments.com/products/etf/details?productId=83">Guggenheim</a> data.

	News of the potential Dow/DuPont marriage comes at a time of year when materials historically perform well. In fact, XLB is usually the best-performing sector SPDR <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/15/11/5954103/sector-etfs-for-november-time-for-laggards-to-lead">in November and December</a>. XLB is up 0.9 percent since the start of November.

Rydex ETF Trust Rydex S&P Equal Weight Materials ETF

Merger Mania For Materials ETFs

September has a bad, though well-deserved reputation as the worst month of the year for stocks.

	On a historical basis, it is the worst month of the year for the S&amp;P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq Composite and the Russell 1000. Small-caps are sort of less bad as there are two months that are less kind to the Russell 2000 than September.

	Related: <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/13/07/3796342/seasonal-trends-three-etfs-to-own-in-august">Three ETFs To Own In August</a>.

	This September has the potential to be even more volatile than recent editions of the ninth month of the year. August saw the largest monthly outflows from U.S. ETFs since early 2010. President Obama continues to mull a military strike against Syria and 10-year Treasury yields continue a <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/13/06/3697012/rising-10-year-yields-could-crush-popular-dividend-etfs">a dangerous flirtation with the three percent level</a>.

	With a rocky September possibly in the offing, investors would do well to get acquainted with the following ETFs as short-term trades for this month.

	ProShares UltraShort Basic Materials (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/smn#NYSE">SMN</a>) 
	Did you know that of the nine sector SPDRs none make more frequent appearances as the worst performer in a given month than the Materials Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/xlb#NYSE">XLB</a>). XLB holds that dubious distinction in three months of the year, including September. XLB's slack historical September performances are usually an extension of a trend that started in August when the ETF is also usually the worst SPDR.

	The ProShares UltraShort Basic Materials attempts to deliver twice the daily inverse returns of the Dow Jones U.S. Basic Materials Index. That is not XLB's underlying index. Rather, it is the benchmark for the iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/iym#NYSE">IYM</a>), which is to say one needs keep an eye on IYM if one is long SMN.

	ProShares UltraShort Utilities (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/sdp#NYSE">SDP</a>) 
	The suggestion of the often overlooked ProShares UltraShort Utilities would seem to go against conventional wisdom that shows the utilities sector is usually decent or less bad in September. That is the case on a historical basis, but with Treasury yields rising, <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/markets/bonds/13/09/3883009/rising-rates-could-make-these-etfs-betray-seasonal-trends">rate-sensitive sectors are not to be trusted in the month ahead</a>.

	SDP seeks to deliver twice the daily inverse returns of the Dow Jones U.S. Utilities Index, which is the underlying index for the iShares U.S. Utilities ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/idu#NYSE">IDU</a>).

	Direxion Daily Energy Bear 3X Shares (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ery#NYSE">ERY</a>) 
	The Stock Trader's Almanac <a href="http://www.stocktradersalmanac.com/sta/home.do">shows investors that September</a> is usually a good time to short oil. That could again be the case this year, particularly if some of the "Syria premium" comes out of crude futures.

	The Direxion Daily Energy Bear 3X Shares is an ideal play for risk-tolerant, active traders looking to profit from declines in energy equities. ERY is the triple-leveraged, bearish answer to the popular Energy Select SPDR (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/xle#NYSE">XLE</a>). What that means is when one is long ERY, one wants to see stocks like Exxon Mobil (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/xom#NYSE">XOM</a>) and Chevron (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/cvx#NYSE">CVX</a>) fall. Traders looking to participate in downside for oil futures should consider the PowerShares DB Crude Oil Double Short ETN (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dto#NYSE">DTO</a>).

	For more on ETFs, click <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/etfs">here</a>.

Short Ideas

Intraday Update

PowerShares DB Crude Oil Double Short ETN

iShares Trust Dow Jones US Utilities Sector Index Fund

Three Bearish Leveraged ETFs For September

There is just one day left in July so there is no time like the present to start evaluating ETFs that have a tendency to perform well in August.

	August is not the greatest month of the year in which to be long stocks. Over the past 62 years, the S&amp;P 500 rose 35 times during the month of August, making the eighth month of the year the ninth-best in terms of performance for the benchmark U.S. index, <a href="http://www.stocktradersalmanac.com/sta/home.do">according to The Stock Trader's Almanac</a>.

	Dismissing seasonal trends as coincidence can be hazardous to a portfolio's health. For example, Benzinga pointed out earlier this year that February marks the beginning of a strong four-month stretch in which <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/13/02/3327831/february-first-month-in-energy-bull-run-use-these-etfs-to-tra">to own energy stocks</a>.

	ETFs including the iShares U.S. Oil &amp; Gas Exploration &amp; Production ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ieo#NYSE">IEO</a>) and the Vanguard Energy ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/vde#NYSE">VDE</a>) honored that trend by turning in solid performances from February through May this year. With August right around the corner, these are some of the ETFs investors should consider.

	Related: <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/12/06/2698806/sound-of-the-seasons-more-etfs-for-seasonal-trends">Sound of the Seasons: More ETFs for Seasonal Trends</a>.

	iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ibb#NASDAQ">IBB</a>) 
	Or the Market Vectors Biotech ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/bbh#NYSE">BBH</a>) or any other biotech ETF for that matter. Considering <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/13/07/3795874/three-etfs-that-have-blown-past-their-200-day-lines">the superior returns</a> offered by biotech ETFs this year, it might be hard to imagine these funds could get any stronger.

	Seasonal trends say otherwise. Early August through early March is historically the best time to own biotech stocks. Other options in addition to IBB and BBH include the SPDR S&amp;P Biotechnology ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/xbi#NYSE">XBI</a>) and the First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/fbt#NYSE">FBT</a>).

	Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/xlp#NYSE">XLP</a>) 
	There is 14 years worth of data for the sector SPDRs ETFs and one of the most popular, the Consumer Staples Select SPDR (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/xlp#NYSE">XLP</a>), is the best performer in August, <a href="http://www.cxoadvisory.com/4408/calendar-effects/sector-performance-by-calendar-month/">according to CXO Advisory Group</a>.

	XLP is also the second-best performer among the SPDRs in September, so don't rush to sell the fund on August 31.

	ProShares UltraShort Basic Materials (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/smn#NYSE">SMN</a>) 
	Putting the ProShares UltraShort Basic Materials on this list is loosely related to XLP. While the staples ETF is the best SPDR in August, the Materials Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/xlb#NYSE">XLB</a>) is the worst. Interestingly, XLB is usually the best SPDR in July and it has been solid over the past month with a gain of 5.6 percent.

	XLB is also <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/13/07/3792951/spy-banks-could-be-boss-again">the worst-performing SPDR this year</a>, though it is still up year-to-date. Investors should note SMN is not the bearish equivalent of XLB. SMN attempts to deliver twice the daily inverse returns as the index tracked by the iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/iym#NYSE">IYM</a>).

	For more on ETFs, click <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/etfs">here</a>.

First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index Fund

iShares Dow Jones US Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Index Fund

Seasonal Trends: Three ETFs To Own In August

&nbsp;

	Praxair Inc. (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/px#NYSE">PX</a>) is in the Danger Zone. This conglomerate has run out of ways to fuel profitable growth. The company is turning to acquisitions to try to maintain top line and EPS growth, but that growth is diluting shareholder value.

	PX spent $294 million on acquisitions of several small packaged gas distributors in 2011, including American Gas Group and Texas Welders Supply Company. The company had an almost identical outlay in acquisition spending for 2012.

	This acquisition spending does not appear to be aiding growth in the way management hoped, as PX saw after-tax profit (<a href="http://blog.newconstructs.com/2012/11/08/nopat-definition-and-formulae-for-net-operating-profit-after-tax-and-nopat-margin/" style="color: rgb(0, 123, 184);">NOPAT</a>) increase by a paltry 2.6% in 2012. This small growth fell far short of the increase in&nbsp;<a href="http://blog.newconstructs.com/2012/11/08/invested-capital-definition-and-formulae/" style="color: rgb(0, 123, 184);">invested capital</a>&nbsp;in 2012, leading to a decline in return on invested capital (<a href="http://blog.newconstructs.com/2012/11/08/roic-definition-and-formulae-for-return-on-invested-capital/" style="color: rgb(0, 123, 184);">ROIC</a>) to 10%. Another example of the&nbsp;<a href="http://blog.newconstructs.com/2012/08/31/the-high-low-fallacy-dont-believe-the-merger-hype/" style="color: rgb(0, 123, 184);">high-low fallacy</a>&nbsp;masking overpayment for cash flows with rising EPS.

	This track record should temper investors&rsquo; enthusiasm over Praxair&rsquo;s recently announced acquisition of NuCO2, a provider of beverage carbonation solutions, for $1.1 billion from Aurora Capital Group.

	While larger in scale than PX&rsquo;s past acquisitions, it looks to have a similar effect of slightly increasing earnings while dragging down on&nbsp;<a href="http://blog.newconstructs.com/2012/11/08/roic-definition-and-formulae-for-return-on-invested-capital/" style="color: rgb(0, 123, 184);">ROIC</a>. NuCO2 is expected to generate an EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortization) of $115 in 2013. If one assumes NuCO2 will have a similar ratio of&nbsp;<a href="http://blog.newconstructs.com/2012/11/08/nopat-definition-and-formulae-for-net-operating-profit-after-tax-and-nopat-margin/" style="color: rgb(0, 123, 184);">NOPAT</a>&nbsp;to EBITDA to PX (about 50%), those earnings should translate to about $57 million in after-tax profit next year. Since&nbsp;<a href="http://blog.newconstructs.com/2012/11/08/roic-definition-and-formulae-for-return-on-invested-capital/" style="color: rgb(0, 123, 184);">ROIC</a>&nbsp;equals&nbsp;<a href="http://blog.newconstructs.com/2012/11/08/invested-capital-definition-and-formulae/" style="color: rgb(0, 123, 184);">invested capital</a>&nbsp;divided by&nbsp;<a href="http://blog.newconstructs.com/2012/11/08/nopat-definition-and-formulae-for-net-operating-profit-after-tax-and-nopat-margin/" style="color: rgb(0, 123, 184);">NOPAT</a>, those profits would translate to a 5.2% return on invested capital, well below PX&rsquo;s current ROIC and weighted-average cost of capital (<a href="http://blog.newconstructs.com/2012/11/08/wacc-definition-and-formula-for-the-weighed-average-cost-of-capital/" style="color: rgb(0, 123, 184);">WACC</a>) of 6.3%.

	Praxair has offered all the usual platitudes about how synergy will allow NuCO2 to generate more revenue in the future than it did on its own. Executive vice president Eduardo Menezes said of the deal, &ldquo;We plan to continue to grow the business in the United States, enhance distribution efficiency utilizing Praxair&rsquo;s competencies in logistics, and extend NuCO2&rsquo;s offerings to customers in other regions of the world.&rdquo;

	That all sounds nice, but I&rsquo;m skeptical as to how much PX can generate profits from expanding NuCO2&rsquo;s product around the world as that business is increasingly commoditized. To create shareholder value, PX has to grow&nbsp;<a href="http://blog.newconstructs.com/2010/08/05/economic-versus-accounting-earnings/" style="color: rgb(0, 123, 184);">economic earnings</a>, not revenue or EPS.

	The lack of economic earnings growth is not enough to put a company in the Danger Zone. The bigger issue it PX&rsquo;s high valuation. Investors needs to beware Wall Street&rsquo;s proclivity to hype stocks that do lots of acquisitions that are accretive to bankers but not shareholders.

	At ~$115.12/share, PX&rsquo;s current valuation implies 7% growth in&nbsp;<a href="http://blog.newconstructs.com/2012/11/08/nopat-definition-and-formulae-for-net-operating-profit-after-tax-and-nopat-margin/" style="color: rgb(0, 123, 184);">NOPAT</a>&nbsp;compounded annually for the next 11 years. Those expectations set the bar awfully high for a large conglomerate operating in increasingly commoditized businesses. I expect the company will disappoint.

	PX may be a good company, but it is a dangerous investment.

	I also recommend avoiding the following ETFs and mutual funds because of their large allocation to PX and Neutral or worse rating.
<ol style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
<li>
		ING Corporate Leaders Trust Fund (MUTF:LEXCX) &ndash; 9% allocation to PX &ndash; Neutral Rating</li>
<li>
		iShares Dow Jones U.S. Basic Materials Index (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/iym#NYSE">IYM</a>) &ndash; 7% allocation to PX &ndash; Neutral Rating</li>
<li>
		ProShares Ultra Basic Materials (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/uym#NYSE">UYM</a>) &ndash; 7% allocation to PX &ndash; Neutral Rating</li>
<li>
		Materials Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/xlb#NYSE">XLB</a>) &ndash; 7% allocation to PX &ndash; Neutral Rating</li>
<li>
		Vanguard World Funds: Vanguard Materials Index Fund (MUTF:VMIAX) &ndash; 5% allocation to PX &ndash; Dangerous Rating</li>
</ol>

	Sam McBride contributed to this report.

	Disclosure: David Trainer and Sam McBride receive no compensation to write about any specific stock, sector, or theme.

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iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF

Overview

iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF (ARCA:IYM), Quote.Headers.trade-ideas