ProShares UltraShort Utilities (ARCA: SDP)

ProShares UltraShort Utilities (ARCA:SDP), Quote.Headers.trade-ideas

The Fund invests in financial instruments that ProShare Advisors believes, in combination, should produce daily returns consistent with the Daily Target.

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Benzinga&#39;s Mandatory ETF Reading for September 18, 2013

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Three Bearish Leveraged ETFs For September

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Leveraged ETFs For Coping With Rising Interest Rates

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Big winners (up at least 5%, list condensed due to tapering announcement): iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ewz#NYSE">EWZ</a>), Global X Brazil Consumer ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/braq#NYSE">BRAQ</a>), PowerShares DB Silver (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dbs#NYSE">DBS</a>), Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gdx#NYSE">GDX</a>), Market Vectors Indonesia ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/idx#NYSE">IDX</a>), iShares MSCI Poland Investable Market ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/epol#NYSE">EPOL</a>), Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gdxj#NYSE">GDXJ</a>), Global X Silver Miners ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/sil#NYSE">SIL</a>) and the iShares MSCI Thailand Investable Market ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/thd#NYSE">THD</a>).

	Big losers (down at least 5%): Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bear 3X Shares (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dust#NYSE">DUST</a>), ProShares UltraShort Utilities (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/sdp#NYSE">SDP</a>), ProShares UltraShort MSCI Brazil (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/bzq#NYSE">BZQ</a>), ProShares UltraShort Gold (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gll#NYSE">GLL</a>) and the ProShares UltraShort Silver (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/zsl#NYSE">ZSL</a>).

	Unusual volume (at least 5X ADV): EGShares Emerging Markets Domestic Demand ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/emdd#NYSE">EMDD</a>), Global X China Industrials ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/chii#NYSE">CHII</a>), First Trust US IPO Index Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/fpx#NYSE">FPX</a>), SPDR S&amp;P International Technology Sector ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ipk#NYSE">IPK</a>) and the iPath Global Carbon ETN (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/grn#NYSE">GRN</a>).

	Must reads of the day:

	WisdomTree analyzes the important <a href="http://www.wisdomtree.com/blog/index.php/the-anatomy-of-a-simple-exchange-traded-fund-spread/">issue of ETF spreads.</a>

	<a href="http://www.wisdomtree.com/blog/index.php/the-anatomy-of-a-simple-exchange-traded-fund-spread/">Breakout: Dollar dips, stocks soar </a><a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/market-awaiting-fomc-announcement-bernanke-presser-173933565.html?l=1">as tapering is shelved</a>.

	Fortune/CNN Money: Preparation for <a href="http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/09/18/twitter-post-ipo/?section=magazines_fortune">the Twitter IPO</a>.

	Marketwatch: Gold soared today <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-cruelest-month-for-gold-2013-09-18">but the gains may be short-lived.</a>

	<a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-cruelest-month-for-gold-2013-09-18">Speaking of Internet stocks and ETFs, check out where </a><a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/13/09/3923975/this-years-hottest-stocks-reside-in-small-etfs">2013's hottest stocks reside</a>.

	Emerging Markets consumer ETFs <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/13/09/3923773/emerging-markets-consumer-etfs-roar-back-to-life">are back in a big way</a>.

	Don't forget to follow me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/ETFProfessor1">@ETFProfessor1</a>.

Benzinga's Mandatory ETF Reading for September 18, 2013

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>.

Yields on 10-year U.S. Treasuries are up 1.6 percent at this writing Monday, taking the one-month yield surge on those bonds north of 15 percent.

	With those yields flirting with 2.88 percent, the conversation about three percent yields becomes more important and possibly more a matter of "when" not "if."

	Rising Treasury yields are not just bad news for bond investors. Scores of equity-based ETFs have been decked in the past month by the yield spike. That also means there are inverse and leveraged ETFs that are benefiting from rising rates. Of the 21 best-performing ETFs over the past month, roughly a third are inverse or leveraged plays on U.S. government bonds or sectors sensitive to rising interest rates.

	Related: <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/13/08/3843217/two-leveraged-etfs-for-rapid-near-term-gains">Two Leveraged ETFs For Rapid Near-Term Gains</a>.

	Assuming rising 10-year yields are not a temporary phenomenon, active traders should consider getting acquainted with the following leveraged funds.

	Direxion Daily Real Estate Bear 3X ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/drv#NYSE">DRV</a>) 
	Not including Monday's performance, DRV <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/13/08/3846863/a-look-ahead-this-weeks-etfs-to-watch">has surged 22 percent in the past week</a>. The primary catalyst is rising interest rates. Yields on U.S. government 10-years are up 30 basis points in the past month. Over that same time, eight of the 20-worst non-leveraged ETFs are REIT funds.

	DRV's roughly $19 price tag looks affordable today, but the fund will undergo a 1-for-4 reverse split that goes into effect on Tuesday. The fund attempts to deliver three times the daily inverse performance of the MSCI US Investable Market 2500 Index. That index is primarily allocated to specialized and retail REITs as those two REIT sub-sectors combine for over 56 percent of the index's weight.

	ProShares UltraPro Short 20+ Year Treasury (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ttt#NYSE">TTT</a>) 
	The 10-year Treasury yield garners most of the headlines, but it should not be forgotten that longer-dated bonds are more sensitive to changes in interest rates. That explains TTTT's recent success. Heading into the start of trading Monday, TTT had gained 15.7 percent in the past month.

	On Monday, the fund hit a new 52-week high. Since the start of August, yields on 20-year U.S. government bonds are up 13 basis points while the yields on 30-years have gained nine basis points. TTT attempts to deliver three times the daily inverse performance of the daily performance of the Barclays U.S. 20+ Year Treasury Bond Index.

	ProShares UltraShort Utilities (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/sdp#NYSE">SDP</a>) 
	Folks can say the impact of rising rates is priced into utilities stocks all they want. The reality is the SPDR Utilities ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/xlu#NYSE">XLU</a>) is now down more than five percent in the past month, a performance that serves as a reminder to conservative investors that everything is find and dandy with utilities stocks...until interest rates rise.

	Among leveraged ETFs, SDP does not get a lot of press, <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/markets/bonds/13/06/3658220/three-obscure-inverse-etfs-to-get-to-know">though some have been prescient enough</a> to call attention to the fund. In the past month, SDP is up nearly 11 percent.

	Investors should note SDP is not the double-leveraged inverse equivalent of XLU, but rather the iShares U.S. Utilities ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/idu#NYSE">IDU</a>).

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

	Disclosure: Author owns none of the securities mentioned here.

Warnings about leveraged ETFs are easy to find and deriding this sub-sector of the exchange-traded products universe has become something of a sport for some.

	Some of the criticism is warranted and those critiques provide a segue to the most important point about leveraged ETFs: These are not long-term investment vehicles.

	Issues of these products, such as ProShares and Direxion, highlight as much <a href="http://direxionshares.com/etf_landing/index.html?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=Direxion-Brand&amp;utm_term=direxion&amp;utm_content=A&amp;gclid=CKiYpaLDka0CFWHatgodMUEkQg">on their Web sites</a>. Those are places traders new to leveraged ETFs should visit before jumping into these funds.

	With all that in mind, the point here is examine a few leveraged ETFs that have the makings of excellent second-half trades. Emphasis on "trades." Let's get to those trades with the gentle reminder that no one should be holding leveraged ETFs, bullish or bearish funds, the way Warren Buffett holds onto shares of Coca-Cola (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ko#NYSE">KO</a>).

	ProShares UltraShort Utilities (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/sdp#NYSE">SDP</a>) 
	There are scores of leveraged sector ETFs that are popular. Examples include the Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/fas#NYSE">FAS</a>) and the ProShares UltraShort Oil &amp; Gas (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dug#NYSE">DUG</a>), but investors may not be aware that they can establish a bearish, twice-leveraged view of utilities stocks.

	Enter SDP, which could prove to be a worthwhile trade for the remainder of July. As <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/13/06/3718915/a-look-ahead-this-weeks-etfs-to-watch">has been noted</a>, the Utilities Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/xlu#NYSE">XLU</a>) is usually the worst-performing of the sector SPDR ETFs in the month of July. To be fair, factor in today's 1.5 percent and XLU is slightly higher on the month.

	Investors should note SDP is not an inverse play on XLU. Rather, SDP seeks to deliver twice the daily inverse performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Utilities Index, the index tracked by the iShares U.S. Utilities ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/idu#NYSE">IDU</a>).

	ProShares Short High Yield (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/sjb#NYSE">SJB</a>) 
	We pointed out <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/markets/bonds/13/06/3646876/traders-finally-discover-obscure-inverse-junk-bond-etf">in early June</a> that traders were finally discovering SJB, the lone inverse though not leveraged junk bond ETF. That article ran on June 4 and since then, the SPDR Barclays Junk Bond ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/jnk#NYSE">JNK</a>) and the iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/hyg#NYSE">HYG</a>) are each down about three percent.

	SJB is up just 1.3 percent over that same time, but the erosion of the long junk bond trade is gaining steam. Since the start of June, nearly $818 million has been pulled out of HYG, the ETF SJB is designed to be the inverse equivalent of.

	Direxion Daily Brazil Bear 3X Shares (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/brzs#NYSE">BRZS</a>) 
	There is substantial risk involved with the ProShares UltraShort MSCI Brazil (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/bzq#NYSE">BZQ</a>), the double-leveraged, bearish equivalent of the iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ewz#NYSE">EWZ</a>). So to say the newly minted Direxion Daily Brazil 3X Shares is not for the faint of heart is an understatement.

	Direxion introduced <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/13/04/3484301/direxion-rolls-out-leveraged-brazil-south-korea-etfs">a bullish equivalent to BRZS</a>, the Direxion Daily Brazil Bull 3X Shares (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/brzu#NYSE">BRZU</a>) in early April and with the myriad woes faced by Brazilian stocks, it is fair to say the timing of BRZU's debut was poor.

	That means the opposite is true for BRZS. Data from Yahoo Finance indicate BRZS had more than doubled from early May through last Friday. If Brazilian stocks <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/13/07/3732895/a-look-ahead-this-weeks-etfs-to-watch">stay on their current dismal trajectory</a>, BRZS is an alluring short-term trade.

	Here is the dark side: EWZ is up about one percent today, but BRZS is down almost five percent. In theory, BRZS should only be down three percent if EWZ is up one percent.

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

Emerging Markets

BRZS

BRZU

Three Inverse ETFs For The Second Half

Stocks are soaring on Friday on the back of a "just right" jobs report. The addition of 175,000 new jobs last month beat estimates, but was not so good that the Federal Reserve needs to consider immediately ending quantitative easing. As perverse as that logic is, there is no getting around the fact that stocks are up today and in a satisfy-me-now type of world, that is all most traders care about.

	Assuming today's gains hold, or are built upon, the S&amp;P 500 will be in the green over the past month, no small feat given the index's dismal end to last month. However, one good day for stocks does not mean every asset class or sector is worth dancing with.

	There are pockets of weakness in this market that make some inverse ETFs increasingly alluring in the near-term and it should be emphasized the following unheralded inverse plays are meant to be just that: Short-term trades.

	ProShares Short High Yield (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/sjb#NYSE">SJB</a>) 
	As was <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/markets/bonds/13/06/3646876/traders-finally-discover-obscure-inverse-junk-bond-etf">noted earlier this week</a>, traders are finally discovering SJB and their timing looks good. Amid concerns about rising interest rates and moves away from riskier assets, investors are looking to reduce duration in their fixed income portfolios or parting ways with junk bonds altogether.

	Professional traders have previously shorted the SPDR Barclays Capital High Yield Bond (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/jnk#NYSE">JNK</a>) because of its tracking error as a way of establishing bearish positions in junk bond ETFs. No need to do that when one can just be long SJB. SJB, which is not leveraged, seeks daily investment results that are the inverse of the Markit iBoxx $ Liquid High Yield Index. That is the index tracked by the iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/hyg#NYSE">HYG</a>).

	ProShares UltraShort Australian Dollar (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/croc#NYSE">CROC</a>) 
	Simply put, the Australian dollar is under siege. The world's 12th-largest economy is slowing. The Reserve Bank of Australia is slashing interest rates and the unwinding of the carry trade is punishing the Aussie. Not to mention the fact that hedge funds are practically tripping over themselves to <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2013/06/06/long-line-to-short-australian-dollar-blackrock-says/">short the Aussie</a>.

	The Aussie has fallen about nine percent against the U.S. dollar since early May and that slide has sent traders running into CROC. The, which turns one next month, has seen inflows of <a href="http://www.etftrends.com/2013/06/this-etf-is-no-croc/">over $12 million since May 5</a>. CROC has a bullish cousin, the ProShares Ultra Australian Dollar (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gday#NYSE">GDAY</a>). CROC and GDAY are double-leveraged.

	ProShares UltraShort Utilities (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/sdp#NYSE">SDP</a>) 
	When it comes to inverse sector ETFs, it is not unreasonable to say plenty of ETF investors are familiar with at least one or two of these products that track the financial services sector. Perhaps they even know about an inverse play or two on the energy or technology sectors.

	The fact that the ProShares UltraShort Utilities had just $2.25 million in assets under management at the end of the first quarter says not a lot of folks not there is a way to establish a double-leveraged, inverse position on embattled utilities stocks.

	Interestingly, SDP has raked in almost $3.5 million in new assets since May 1, during a time in which the Utilities Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/xlu#NYSE">XLU</a>) has tumbled eight percent. SDP does not attempt to deliver twice the daily inverse returns of XLU's index. Rather, SDP does that with the Dow Jones U.S. Utilities Sector Index, which is the index tracked by the iShares Dow Jones U.S. Utilities Sector Index Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/idu#NYSE">IDU</a>).

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

Forex

CROC

GDAY

Three Obscure Inverse ETFs to Get to Know

Despite all the scrutiny on leveraged ETFs, some manage to fly under the radar. For every leveraged fund that is as well known as the Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/faz#NYSE">FAZ</a>), there is another that most investors do not even know exists.

Anonymity aside, the allure of leveraged ETFs is obvious. Few other financial instruments offer ordinary investors the chance to capture double-digit gains in just one or two trading days. However, many investors are seduced by those gains and fail to read the fine print: leveraged ETFs are short-term trading vehicles, not buy-and-hold investments.

For those with discipline and a sense of adventure, the following forgotten leveraged ETFs have the potential to be quite rewarding in the current market environment.

ProShares Ultra DJ-UBS Natural Gas (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/boil#NYSE">BOIL</a>)
Aided by a bullish demand outlook and some cooperative weather forecasts, natural gas futures have been moving higher lately. After touching support at $15 earlier this month, the U.S. Natural Gas Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ung#NYSE">UNG</a>) has rallied to over $18.60. UNG itself often moves like a leveraged ETF (only a slight exaggeration), but those who want really big moves should consider the ProShares Ultra DJ-UBS Natural Gas.

In the past seven weeks, BOIL has had days where it has gained 9 percent, 6 percent, 10.5 percent and 27.1 percent.

ProShares UltraShort Utilities (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/sdp#NYSE">SDP</a>)
Many investors know of the inverse funds for sectors such as energy, financial services and technology, but many would also be surprised to learn there's a leveraged bearish play on utilities stocks. Thank goodness there is because <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/12/06/2689096/four-sector-etfs-to-avoid-like-the-plague-mxi-oih-xlp">the Utilities Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: </a><a class="ticker" href="/stock/xlu#NYSE">XLU</a>) is showing signs of weakness.

The knock on the ProShares UltraShort Utilities is the weak average daily trade volume of just 3,200 shares. Note that the index SDP offers daily inverse returns on is the index tracked by the iShares Dow Jones U.S. Utilities Sector Index Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/idu#NYSE">IDU</a>), not XLU. That means SDP's returns should be measured against the iShares offering, not XLU.

Direxion Daily Healthcare Bear 3X Shares (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/sick#NYSE">SICK</a>)
The Direxion Daily Healthcare Bear 3X Shares clearly has a nifty ticker, but this ETF's time to shine could arrive as soon as Thursday. That is when the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to finally render a decision on Obamacare. Should that ruling adversely impact health care stocks and ETFs, SICK could see a brief surge in popularity.

As it is, the fund only trades about 400 shares per day, according to Yahoo Finance data. SICK has a bullish equivalent in the form of the Direxion Daily Healthcare Bull 3X Shares (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/cure#NYSE">CURE</a>). Both follow the same index as the Health Care Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/xlv#NYSE">XLV</a>).

Direxion Daily Natural Gas Related Bear 3x ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gasx#NYSE">GASX</a>)
It might seem odd to have one bullish natural gas play on this list and then follow up it with a bearish play. However, BOIL is a play on natural gas futures while the Direxion Daily Natural Gas Related Bear 3x ETF is a bearish play on natural gas equities. Natural gas equities have lagged the returns offered by futures. In the past month, the First Trust ISE Revere Natural Gas ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/fcg#NYSE">FCG</a>) has fallen 5.8 percent while UNG is up 2.6 percent.

GASX tracks the same index as FCG and the former has surged 7.3 percent since May 29. Its bullish equivalent is the Direxion Daily Natural Gas Related Bull
3x ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gasl#NYSE">GASL</a>).

For more on leveraged ETFs, click <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/etfs/commodities/11/06/1133428/five-inverse-etfs-your-broker-forgot-to-mention">here</a>.

Futures

Movers

BOIL

CURE

First Trust ISE-Revere Natural Gas Index Fund

GASL

GASX

SICK

4 More Leveraged ETFs Your Broker Forgot to Mention  (BOIL, SDP, GASX)

No, leveraged ETFs aren't perfect. Far from it <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/11/12/2220100/epic-fail-part-ii-short-financial-etfs-an-unpleasant-surprise">as a matter of fact</a>. However, this often derided subsector of the ETF universe is known for something else besides controversy: Big gains in short periods of time.

Obviously, that also means the potential for large losses exists. And it pays to remember that ProShares and Direxion, the two largest U.S. issuers of leveraged and inverse ETFs, make no bones about it on their Web sites. These ETFs are daily instruments. Translation: Don't play Warren Buffett with any of the ETFs mentioned here.

With the disclaimers and warings out of the way, active traders may want to avail themselves of a few of the leveraged funds highlighted here. Just be sure to take your gains of 5%-10% in a day or a few days and be on your merry way.

ProShares UltraShort Yen (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ycs#NYSE">YCS</a>)
Designed to be the double-leveraged inverse answer to the CurrencyShares Japanese Yen Trust (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/fxy#NYSE">FXY</a>), the ProShares UltraShort Yen might be one of the riskiest leveraged ETFs anyone can get involved with. Despite a massive debt load and numerous economic and political problems in Japan, the yen's rise against the dollar (something Japanese exporters can ill afford) has been nearly undaunted for a while now. 

Actually, make that 40 years, as the Wall Street Journal noted last week. No one knows exactly when, or if, the yen will decline against the dollar, but this is a <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/news/11/12/2227490/five-currency-pairs-to-watch-in-2012">pivotal forex pair to keep an eye on</a>. YCS is useful for a couple of days when the Bank of Japan announces one of its typically ineffective currency interventions.

Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 3X Shares (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/nugt#NYSE">NUGT</a>)
Gold miners <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/news/earnings/12/01/2296832/a-look-ahead-next-weeks-etfs-to-watch">have been on fire this year</a>. Most traders know that, but that hasn't resulted in a lot of press for NUGT, which is up 30% year-to-date. If miners finally start tracking or outperforming bullion, NUGT is in for a big year. If miners disappoint, you'll want to become familiar with the Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bear 3X Shares (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/dust#NYSE">DUST</a>).

ProShares UltraShort Utilities (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/sdp#NYSE">SDP</a>)
Last year was very kind to utilities stocks and the Utilties Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/xlu#NYSE">XLU</a>). A sequel hasn't materialized yet this year and profit-taking in the utilities space has the ProShares UltraShort Utilities up over 8% year-to-date. Even if the broader market rallies, SDP is worth an occasional trade if that rally comes on the back of high-beta names.

ProShares UltraShort Brazil (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/bzq#NYSE">BZQ</a>)
It has been a dandy start to the year for <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/12/01/2296615/financials-emerging-markets-etfs-killing-u-s-funds">Brazilian equities and the corresponding ETFs</a>. It would not be a surprise to see that trend continue, but nothing moves up in a straight line, certainly not a volatile emerging markets ETF like the iShares MSCI Brazil Index Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ewz#NYSE">EWZ</a>). 

A couple of down days for the Bovespa usually translates to some rapid gains for BZQ making this ETF an ideal short-term hedge on long-term positions in EWZ or related Brazil ETFs.

Direxion Daily India Bull 3X Shares (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/indl#NYSE">INDL</a>)
Even with today's decline of more than 5%, the Direxion Daily India Bull 3X Shares is still up a jaw-dropping 59% since the start of 2012. Said differently, INDL might have to disappear in order for another fund to wrest the title of best India ETF of 2012. But as we just said, nothing moves up in a straight line and since stocks fall faster than they rise, those that become acquainted with INDL should keep an eye on the Direxion Daily India Bear 3X Shares (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/indz#NYSE">INDZ</a>) as well.

INDL

INDZ

NUGT

These Leveraged ETFs Are Worth The Risk Now

New product introductions totaled 275 in the first ten months of 2011.  October saw 27 new ETPs come to market, consisting of 17 ETFs and 10 ETNs.  Three ETFs closed and liquidated, putting the net gain in listed products at 24 for October.  The quantity of U.S. listings now stands at 1,359 (1,163 ETFs and 196 ETNs).  There were two closures and one launch among the actively managed ETF subset.  The current count of actively managed funds is just 39, representing less than 3% of the ETP population.
The surge in stock prices brought assets back to $1.1 trillion, with <a href="http://investwithanedge.com/etf-stats-for-september-2011-assets-slip-below-1-trillion" target="_blank">September now being the only month this year where assets failed to hold above the trillion-dollar mark</a>.  Trading activity declined nearly 5% for the month, which is not at all encouraging in a month of huge price gains.  Dollar volume averaged just $92.5 billion per day.
The number of ETFs averaging more than $1 billion in daily trading activity (the Billion Dollar Club) slipped from 20 to 18 and accounted for more than 70% of all ETP dollars traded.  Products averaging more than $100 million of trading per day increased slightly from 86 to 89 and accounted for 92.2% of dollar volume.

<table class="wptable rowstyle-alt" id="wptable-112" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="2">
<thead>
<tr>
<th class="sortable" style="width:250px" align="left">October 2011 Month End</th>
<th class="sortable" style="width:70px" align="center">ETFs</th>
<th class="sortable" style="width:70px" align="center">ETNs</th>
<th class="sortable" style="width:70px" align="center">Total</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tr>
<td style="width:250px" align="left">Currently Listed U.S.</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">1,163</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">196</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">1,359</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td style="width:250px" align="left">Listed as of 12/31/2010</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">967</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">132</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">1,099</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:250px" align="left">New Introductions for Month</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">17</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">10</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">27</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td style="width:250px" align="left">Delistings/Closures for Month</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">3</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">0</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:250px" align="left">Net Change for Month</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">+14</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">+10</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">+24</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td style="width:250px" align="left">New Introductions 6 mths</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">119</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">39</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">158</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:250px" align="left">New Introductions YTD</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">205</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">70</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">275</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td style="width:250px" align="left">Delistings/Closures YTD</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">9</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">6</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">15</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:250px" align="left">Net Change YTD</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">+196</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">+64</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">+260</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td style="width:250px" align="left">Actively-Managed Listings</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">39</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">0</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">39</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:250px" align="left">Assets Under Mgmt ($ billion)</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">$1,066</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">$15.0</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">$1,081</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td style="width:250px" align="left">% Change in Assets for Month</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">+11.3%</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">+3.4%</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">+11.1%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:250px" align="left">Monthly $ Volume ($ billion)</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">$1,907</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">$36.4</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">$1,943</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td style="width:250px" align="left">% Change in Monthly $ Volume</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">-4.5%</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">-23.2%</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">-4.9%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:250px" align="left">Avg Daily $ Volume > $1 Billion</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">17</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">1</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">18</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<td style="width:250px" align="left">Avg Daily $ Volume > $100 Million</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">87</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">2</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">89</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:250px" align="left">Avg Daily $ Volume > $10 Million</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">246</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">11</td>
<td style="width:70px" align="center">257</td>
</tr>
</table>

 Data sources:  AUM from National Stock Exchange, daily prices and volume of individual ETPs from Norgate Premium Data, fund counts and all other information compiled by Invest With An Edge.
New products launched in October (in chronological order), along with links to my initial analysis of each:
<ol>
<li>CurrencyShares Chinese Renminbi Trust (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/fxch#">FXCH</a>) [<a href="http://investwithanedge.com/a-dozen-new-etfs-in-the-first-dozen-days-of-october" target="_blank">A Dozen New ETFs in the First Dozen Days of October</a>]</li>
<li>ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/uvxy#">UVXY</a>)</li>
<li>ProShares Short VIX Short-Term Futures ETF (SVXY)</li>
<li>AdvisorShares TrimTabs Float Shrink ETF (TTFS)</li>
<li>Russell Small Cap Aggressive Growth ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/sggg#">SGGG</a>)</li>
<li>Russell Small Cap Consistent Growth ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/scog#">SCOG</a>)</li>
<li>Russell Small Cap Contrarian ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/sctr#">SCTR</a>)</li>
<li>Russell Small Cap Low P/E ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/sclp#">SCLP</a>)</li>
<li>UBS ETRACS Monthly 2x Leveraged ISE Cloud Computing TR Index ETN (LSKY)</li>
<li>ProShares Ultra DJ-UBS Natural Gas (BOIL)</li>
<li>ProShares UltraShort DJ-UBS Natural Gas (KOLD)</li>
<li>Market Vectors Renminbi Bond ETF (CHLC)</li>
<li>VelocityShares 3x Long Gold ETN (UGLD) [<a href="http://investwithanedge.com/velocityshares-launches-eight-precious-metals-etns" target="_blank">VelocityShares Launches Eight Precious Metals ETNs</a>]</li>
<li>VelocityShares 3x Inverse Gold ETN (DGLD)</li>
<li>VelocityShares 3x Long Silver ETN (USLV)</li>
<li>VelocityShares 3x Inverse Silver (DSLV)</li>
<li>VelocityShares 2x Long Palladium ETN (LPAL)</li>
<li>VelocityShares 2x Inverse Palladium ETN (IPAL)</li>
<li>VelocityShares 2x Long Platinum ETN (LPLT)</li>
<li>VelocityShares 2x Inverse Platinum ETN (IPLT)</li>
<li>iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond Fund (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/lemb#">LEMB</a>) [<a href="http://investwithanedge.com/lemb-joins-crowded-emerging-markets-local-currency-niche" target="_blank">LEMB Joins Crowded Emerging Markets Local Currency Niche</a>]</li>
<li>iShares MSCI USA Minimum Volatility Index Fund (USMV) [<a href="http://investwithanedge.com/new-ishares-low-volatility-suite" target="_blank">New iShares Low Volatility Suite</a>]</li>
<li>iShares MSCI EAFE Minimum Volatility Index Fund (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/efav#">EFAV</a>)</li>
<li>iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility Index Fund (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/acwv#">ACWV</a>)</li>
<li>iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility Index Fund (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/eemv#">EEMV</a>)</li>
<li>Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) [<a href="http://investwithanedge.com/schwab-grabs-lowest-cost-dividend-etf-crown" target="_blank">Schwab Grabs Lowest Cost Dividend ETF Crown</a>]</li>
<li>RBS Global Big Pharma ETN (DRGS) [<a href="http://investwithanedge.com/rbs-launches-questionable-pharma-etp" target="_blank">RBS Launches Questionable Pharma ETP</a>]</li>
</ol>
Product closures/delistings in October:
<ol>
<li>PowerShares Active AlphaQ (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/pqy#">PQY</a>) [<a href="http://investwithanedge.com/active-etfs-continue-to-struggle-pqz-and-pqy-close" target="_blank">Active ETFs Continue to Struggle: PQZ and PQY Close</a>]</li>
<li>PowerShares Active Alpha Multi-Cap (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/pqz#">PQZ</a>)</li>
<li>Direxion Airline Shares (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/flyx#">FLYX</a>) [<a href="http://investwithanedge.com/flyx-fails-to-fly" target="_blank">FLYX Fails to Fly</a>]</li>
</ol>
Product changes in October:
<ol>
<li>ProShares Ultra Silver (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/agq#">AGQ</a>) had a 2-for-1 split effective 10/13/11.</li>
<li>ProShares UltraShort Yen (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/ycs#">YCS</a>), ProShares UltraShort Real Estate (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/srs#">SRS</a>), and ProShares UltraShort Utilities (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/sdp#">SDP</a>) had 1-for-3 reverse splits effective 10/13/11.</li>
<li>WisdomTree Dreyfus Euro Fund <a href="http://www.wisdomtree.com/etfs/fund-details-fixed-income.asp?etfid=61" target="_blank">changed its objective and its name</a> to WisdomTree Euro Debt Fund (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/eu#">EU</a>) effective 10/19/11.</li>
<li>Five SPDR ETFs formerly based on KBW indexes <a href="https://www.spdrs.com/resources/news/article.seam?newsId=1893134650" target="_blank">changed to S&amp;P Select Industry indexes effective 10/24/11</a>.  The new fund names are SPDR S&amp;P Bank ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/kbe#">KBE</a>), SPDR S&amp;P Capital Markets ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/kce#">KCE</a>), SPDR S&amp;P Insurance ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/kie#">KIE</a>), SPDR S&amp;P Mortgage Finance ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/kme#">KME</a>), and SPDR S&amp;P Regional Banking ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/kre#">KRE</a>).</li>
<li>WisdomTree Dreyfus New Zealand Dollar Fund (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/bnz#">BNZ</a>) <a href="http://www.wisdomtree.com/about/pdf/WisdomTree-AUNZ-Debt-Fund-Now-Trading-786.pdf" target="_blank">changed its objective, name, and ticker symbol</a> to WisdomTree Australia &amp; New Zealand Debt Fund (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/aunz#">AUNZ</a>) effective 10/25/11.  The fund had a <a href="http://www.wisdomtree.com/about/pdf/WisdomTree-BNZ-Declare-Distributions-785.pdf" target="_blank">special distribution of $3.05</a> prior to the change.</li>
<li>QuantShares U.S. Market Neutral Beta Fund (BTAH) changed its name to QuantShares U.S. Market Neutral High Beta Fund (BTAH) effective 10/26/11.</li>
<li>EGShares Emerging Markets High Income Low Beta ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/hilo#">HILO</a>) changed its name to EGShares Low Volatility Emerging Markets Dividend ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/hilo#">HILO</a>) effective 10/28/11.</li>
</ol>
Announced Product Changes for Coming Months:
<ol>
<li>Direxion plans to reverse split six ETFs effective 11/10/11.  The affected funds are FAS, EDC, TMV, DRV, and LBJ at 1-for-5 and RUSL at 1-for-3.  <a href="http://www.direxionshares.com/pdfs/DirexionPressReleaseETFNovemberReverseSplits.pdf" target="_blank">Press release</a> (pdf). </li>
<li>All <a href="http://www.direxionshares.com/2xto3x" target="_blank">Direxion Shares 2x Bull and Bear ETFs will convert to 3x</a> on 12/1/11</li>
<li>Van Eck Global and Merrill Lynch <a href="http://www.vaneck.com/holdrs/press-release" target="_blank">announced</a> an agreement to seek SEC and shareholder approval for a <a href="http://www.vaneck.com/holdrs/overview/" target="_blank">fourth quarter 2011 exchange of six HOLDRS products into similar to-be-released Market Vector ETFs</a> under the same ticker symbols.  The new funds will be Market Vectors Oil Services ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/oih#">OIH</a>), Market Vectors Semiconductor ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/smh#">SMH</a>), Market Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/pph#">PPH</a>), Market Vectors Biotech ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/bbh#">BBH</a>), Market Vectors Retail ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/rth#">RTH</a>), and Market Vectors Bank and Brokerage ETF (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/rkh#">RKH</a>).</li>
</ol>
Previous monthly ETF statistics reports are available <a href="http://investwithanedge.com/category/etf-statistics" target="_blank">here</a>.
Disclosure covering writer, editor, publisher, and affiliates: No positions in any of the securities mentioned. No positions in any of the companies or ETF sponsors mentioned.  No income, revenue, or other compensation (either directly or indirectly) received from, or on behalf of, any of the companies or ETF sponsors mentioned.
<img src="http://investwithanedge.com/?ak_action=api_record_view&amp;id=14648&amp;type=feed" alt="" />

ACWV

AUNZ

Wisdom tree Drefus New Zeland Dollar Fund

EEMV

EFAV

FLYX

FXCH

HILO

LEMB

Merrill Lynch Pharmaceutical HOLDRs Trust

Merrill Lynch Retail HOLDRS Trust due 12/31/41

SCLP

SCOG

SCTR

SGGG

UVXY

ETF Stats for October 2011: YTD Launches At 275

ProShares, the largest U.S. issuer of leveraged and inverse ETFs, announced splits for several of its leveraged products. The ProShares UltraSilver (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/agq#NYSE">AGQ</a>) will be split two-for-one. The split will apply to shareholders of record as of the close of the markets on October 10, 2011, payable after the close of the markets on October 12, 2011, ProShares said in a statement.

The firm also announced one-for-three reverse splits for the following ETFs: ProShares UltraShort Yen (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ycs#NYSE">YCS</a>), ProShares UltraShort Real Estate (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/srs#NYSE">SRS</a>) and the ProShares UltraShort Utilities (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/sdp#NYSE">SDP</a>).

All of those funds will be reverse split on October 12 and trade post-split the next day.

Maryland-based ProShares had 122 ETFs with $26.1 billion in assets under management at the end of August, according to data from the National Stock Exchange. Overall, the firm is the fifth-largest U.S. ETF sponsor.

Stock Split

ProShares Announces Splits of Four ETFs

Looking for a little juice for the portfolio or dividends as a hedge against inflation? Then you might want to consider these seven dividend-paying utilities stocks that are up more than 15% year to date and trading near 52-week highs.

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/cnp#NYSE">CNP</a>): Based in Houston and sporting a market cap of $8.6 billion, this diversified utility saw net cash flow from operations jump more than 30% in the most recent reporting period. The company has a 3.9% dividend yield and a long-term EPS growth forecast of 5.7%. The share price is up more than 28% year to date. The stock has outperformed competitor Xcel Energy (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/xel#NYSE">XEL</a>), as well as the industry average, in that time.

Constellation Energy (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ceg#NYSE">CEG</a>): The company has announced an agreement to provide electricity to U.S. Postal Service locations in New York and the northeast. It also recently announced acquisitions of Houston-based StarTex Power and Connecticut-based MXenergy Holdings. Its dividend yield is 2.5% and the market cap is $7.8 billion. Shares are more than 27% higher year to date. The stock has outperformed the electric utilities industry average, as well as competitor Duke Energy (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/duk#NYSE">DUK</a>), during that time.

El Paso Electric (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ee#NYSE">EE</a>): Goldman Sachs recently reiterated its Buy rating and price target due to the Texas-based company's dividend and share buybacks. The utility is expected to post year-over-year EPS growth of 19.7% on August 3. The market cap is $1.4 billion and the long-term EPS growth forecast is 6.0%. The share price is up about 20% since the beginning of the year. The stock has outperformed American Electric Power (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/aep#NYSE">AEP</a>) and the industry average during that time.

NiSource (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ni#NYSE">NI</a>): The Indiana-based utility is scheduled to post second-quarter results August 2; analysts expect to see revenues up 8.0% year over year. The dividend yield is 4.4%. The P/E ratio is 17.4 and the long-term EPS growth forecast is 7.6%. The share price has grown nearly 20% since the beginning of the year. In that time, the stock has outperformed competitors Dominion Resources (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/d#NYSE">D</a>) and Duke Energy (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/duk#NYSE">DUK</a>), as well as the industry average.

ONEOK (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/oke#NYSE">OKE</a>): The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based natural gas provider just boosted its quarterly dividend by about 8%; it has raised its dividend 12 times since January 2006. ONEOK also recently completed a two-for-one stock split. Its market cap is $8.1 billion, the dividend yield is 2.6% and the long-term EPS growth forecast is 7.9%. The share price is up more than 36% year to date; the stock has outperformed its industry average and competitors such as OGE Energy (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/oge#NYSE">OGE</a>) in that time.

Portland General Electric (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/por#NYSE">POR</a>): The Oregon utility raised the quarterly dividend 2% in May following better-than-expected first-quarter results and an increase in full-year guidance. The $1.9 billion market cap company has a dividend yield of about 4%. The P/E ratio of 11.5 is less than the industry average. The share price is more than 18% higher than at the beginning of the year. In that time, the stock has outperformed its industry average and the broader markets.

Southern Union (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/sug#NYSE">SUG</a>): This Houston-based natural gas provider has been the subject of a bidding war over the past few weeks but will be acquired by Energy Transfer Equity (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ete#NYSE">ETE</a>). The merger is expected to be completed in 2012. Southern Union has a dividend yield of 1.4%. The share price is about 84% higher year to date, most of that growth coming after takeover talks began. The stock was outperforming its industry average even before that takeover bump.

Action Items:

Bullish: Traders interested in utilities exchange traded funds might want to consider the following trades:

<ul><li>PowerShares Dynamic Utilities Portfolio (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/pui#NYSE">PUI</a>): up more than 16% in the past year</li>
<li>Rydex S&amp;P Equal Weight Utilities ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ryu#NYSE">RYU</a>): up nearly 17% in the past year</li>
<li>First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/fxu#NYSE">FXU</a>): up more than 18% in the past year</li>
<li>iShares Dow Jones U.S. Utilities Sector Index Fund (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/idu#NYSE">IDU</a>): up nearly 13% in the past year</li></ul>

Bearish: Traders looking for contrarian options may want to consider these alternate positions:

<ul><li>Proshares UltraShort Utilities (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/sdp#NYSE">SDP</a>)</li>
<li>Direxion Daily Energy Bear 3X Shares (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ery#NYSE">ERY</a>)</li></ul>

Neither Benzinga nor its staff recommend that you buy, sell, or hold any security. We do not offer investment advice, personalized or otherwise. Benzinga recommends that you conduct your own due diligence and consult a certified financial professional for personalized advice about your financial situation.

PowerShares ETF Trust Dynamic Utilities Portfolio

Rydex ETF Trust Rydex S&P Equal Weight Utilities ETF

Seven Utilities Stocks Worth a Look Now

For all the controversy surrounding leveraged and inverse ETFs, it's almost unfathomable that any member of this sub-sector of the ETF universe could go unnoticed. 

The reality is plenty of nifty inverse and leveraged ETFs are not as popular as one might think and with the broader market fresh off a May swoon (and not looking much better to start June), now is a fine time for investors to think like traders and employ some short-term hedges in their portfolios.

Obviously, the critical factor with leveraged and inverse ETFs is understanding what these funds are about and it's spelled out for the world in the funds' prospectuses. Nearly every leveraged ETF out there is intended for short-term use. In other words, don't hold a leveraged or inverse ETF the way Warren Buffett holds shares of Coca-Cola (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/ko#NYSE">KO</a>) and you'll keep losses to a minimum.

Let's look at five unheralded leveraged and inverse plays.

1) Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bear 2X Shares (NYSE: DUST):
Home to one of the most appropriate tickers in the ETF world, DUST is also a fine way to hedge exposure to an ETF like the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gdx#NYSE">GDX</a>) or just be outright short gold miners themselves. Not a bad idea since miners have lagged the underlying yellow metal this year.

2) Direxion Daily India 2X Bear Shares (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/indz#NYSE">INDZ</a>):
For as popular as traditional India-specific ETFs have been, INDZ has been somewhat of a disappointment as it less than $4 million in assets under management. Making INDZ's AUM conundrum even more curious has been the slack performance of India ETFs this year. Forget all that. If you can keep an eye on your positions intraday, INDZ offers plenty of volatility and great moves over one to three day holdings periods.

3) ProShares UltraShort Utilities (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/sdp#NYSE">SDP</a>):
With everyone and his sister looking to play defense these days, SDP probably isn't an ETF you want to jump into with right this minute. Put it on the back burner for when risk appetite and the high beta trade return. When that happens, SDP will prove useful as investors shuffle out of stodgy utilities stocks.

4) PowerShares DB Base Metals Short ETN (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/bos#NYSE">BOS</a>):
BOS isn't leveraged, but it makes for an ideal play in this environment with so many jittery investors and pundits fretting about global economic growth. If global growth is really slowing, why not be short aluminum, copper and the like all in one fund?

5) Direxion Daily Russia 3X Bear Shares (NYSE: RUSS):
OK, so RUSS just made its debut last week, but it is the first leveraged, inverse play on Russia and it is immediately useful. If the market bid up ETFs like the Market Vectors Russia ETF (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/rsx#NYSE">RSX</a>) due to rising oil prices, RUSS represents an excellent option for a short-term hedge on long Russia exposure AND for establishing a short oil position.

Market Vectors Russia ETF Trust Shares of Beneficial Interest

Five Inverse ETFs Your Broker Forgot To Mention

<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qA8QmxrSIpk/THoP4ZHT13I/AAAAAAAAAhc/E8DmHTdXh0A/s1600/1817532_1_xio-fcmsimage-20100827105703-006032-4c777ddf6c793.photo_1282801843641-3-0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qA8QmxrSIpk/THoP4ZHT13I/AAAAAAAAAhc/E8DmHTdXh0A/s200/1817532_1_xio-fcmsimage-20100827105703-006032-4c777ddf6c793.photo_1282801843641-3-0.jpg" width="200" /></a>German Bundesbank executive Thilo Sarrazin has sparked a new uproar by saying that "all Jews share a common gene" and also attacked the Basques in Spain the same way in a newspaper interview. 
This comes only a few days after Sarrazin came under fire in Germany for using shock talk about the country's Muslim immigrants, Turks, Middle Easterners and Africans when he presented a new book. 
Sarrazin’s new book, whose title translates as “Germany Eliminates Itself,” sparked a heated debate. A spokesman of the Bundesbank so far only said that the book is Sarrazin's personal opinion, not exactly distancing itself from Sarrazin's xenophobic bouts. 
His frothy statements were immediately rebutted by foreign minister Guido Westerwelle and minority representatives. A spokesman for chancellor Angela Merkel began his Sunday with expressions of outrage. 
Sarrazin is still on the job after an <a href="http://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article9252779/Sarrazin-findet-seine-Thesen-sozialdemokratisch.html">interview</a> with conservative German Sunday paper "<a href="http://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article9255898/Moegen-Sie-keine-Tuerken-Herr-Sarrazin.html">Welt am Sonntag</a>" where he extended his attacks to Jews. 
German official news outlet Deutsche Welle was the first to report on Sarrazin's nationalistic outbreak that is destined to destroy Germany's image rebuilt in the last 65 years. 
Sarrazin appears to have wild mood swings. In 2009, the central banker, who is a member of the Social Democratic Party (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/spd#">SPD</a>), had said he would prefer immigration "if it was by eastern European Jews with a 15-percent-higher IQ than the German population." 
His new book, to appear on shelves this week, claims that immigration from Turkey, the Middle East and Africa would dumb down his country and led him to draw a line between Christian culture and the rest. 
From <a href="http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5953098,00.html">Deutsche Welle</a>: 
<a name='more'></a>
<blockquote>German central bank executive Thilo Sarrazin has stirred fresh controversy over the weekend with discriminatory remarks concerning religious minorities. 
"All Jews share a particular gene," Sarrazin said in an interview. "That makes them different from other peoples." 
Sarrazin, who is currently promoting his book "Deutschland schafft sich ab", remained undeterred in expressing his views despite criticism and calls for his resignation from the board of the Bundesbank. 
The cultural peculiarities of the peoples is no myth, but determines the reality of Europe," Sarrazin told the newspapers Welt am Sonntag and Berliner Morgenpost. 
Berlin's former finance chief has said in the past that Muslims living in Germany do not contribute to the country's economic prosperity, reducing their role to the running of fruit and vegetable stands. 
He reiterated his view that Muslim immigrants all over Europe were integrating more poorly than other immigrant populations into the societies of their host countries.</blockquote>
<blockquote>In 2009, the central banker, who is a member of the Social Democratic Party (<a class="ticker" href="/stock/sdp#">SDP</a>), had said he would prefer immigration "if it was by eastern European Jews with a 15-percent-higher IQ than the German population." 
The Jewish community in Germany reacted with indignation to Sarrazin's attempts at racial profiling. 
Whoever tries to define Jews by their genetic makeup, even when it is superficially positive in tone, is in the grip of a race mania that Jews do not share," said Stephan Kramer, secretary of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. 
While Sarrazin made reference in his interview to the alleged unique genetics of social groups, he also claimed he was not racist. It was not ethnicity, he said, but rather the culture of Islam that kept Muslims immigrants from integrating into European societies. 
Germany's Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, responded to Sarrazin's latest comments, saying statements "that promote racism or anti-Semitism have no place in political discourse." </blockquote>
<blockquote>Radical speech</blockquote>
<blockquote>Roland Koch, the outgoing premier of the German state of Hesse, told the newspaper Bild am Sonntag that Sarrazin was pushing himself into the margins of politics. Koch recognized that the banker was "addressing existing problems that society mustn't ignore," but added that he obviously appeared to be concerned only with pursuing "radical speech and the breaching of taboos." 
Before Sarrazin's latest statements were published, the chairman of Germany's Turkish Federation had called for Sarrazin to be removed from his post. Meanwhile, a spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel and Germany's integration commissioner Maria Boehmer expressed outrage at Sarrazin's statements. 
Christian Gaebler of the SDP told news magazine Spiegel that if Sarrazin did not willingly leave the party, he and other members would "begin procedures to expel him from the party." 
Sarrazin has claimed his views toe the party line. Other parties, he said, would prefer to see immigrants kicked out of Germany, whereas he claimed to advocate integration.</blockquote>
Looking at my calendar I see the date of August 29, 2010. Sarrazin's version must be from 1938. Berlin's local SPD organisation has initiated a <a href="http://www.donaukurier.de/nachrichten/topnews/D-Bundesbank-Affaeren-Migration-Integration-Berliner-SPD-erwaegt-neues-Ausschlussverfahren-gegen-Sarrazin%3Bart154776,2314746">move to expulse Sarrazin from the party</a>. 
Finance minister Schaeuble had <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-25/schaeuble-ashamed-at-bundesbank-member-sarrazin-s-anti-immigrant-remarks.html">said on last week to Bloomberg</a>, he was ashamed of Sarrazin. A Merkel spokesman had called Sarrazin's views that migrants are making Germany “dumber,” are “not helpful at all” and “can be hurtful for a lot people.”
IMHO it would be most opportune if we keep religion out of politics. Europe has never fared well on that path. 
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Bundesbank Executive Attacks Jews, Turks, Africans et al in Xenophobic Seizure

There are a couple Exchange Traded Funds or ETFs, which go up when the stock market drops, and on top of that, they pay a dividend. These ETFs could be an interesting way of hedging your portfolio. 
One of the ETFs is UltraShort Utilities ProShares (SDP), which utilizes futures contracts, options, forward contracts, swap agreements and similar instruments to seek a return that is twice the inverse of the daily performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Utilities index for a single day. This means that when utilities drop, this ETF should increase in price.
SDP pays a small yield of 0.31%, with dividends being paid since June 2007. A large portion of the dividend payouts are generally due to capital gains. Although payments were made in June and December of last year, there is no guarantee that dividends will be paid in the future. 
The performance for last year was down, primarily because of the strong move in in utilities and stocks in general since March of last year. However, it has far outperformed the bear market category year-to-date, for 3 months, one year, and 3 years. If you consider investing in this type of ETF, remember that it is designed to provide a return on a daily basis, not long term, and not for income.
Another bearish ETF which pays a dividend is UltraShort Telecommunications ProShares (TLL), which has a yield of 0.47% based on its latest dividend payment. It attempts to achieve twice the inverse of the daily performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Telecommunications index, in other words, twice the opposite return of telecom stocks. This ETF doesn't have as long a dividend track record as SDP and it has outperformed the Bear Market Index for one month, year-to-date, and one year.
If you like bearish ETFs, you can get a free list of <a href="http://WallStreetNewsNetwork.com">Short ETFs</a> at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.
Author does not own any of the above. By <a href="http://Stockerblog.com">Stockerblog.com</a> 
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ETFs that Go Up when the Market Drops, and Pays a Dividend

Not quite two weeks ago I visited Daru, a town of some 20,000 people on an island of the same name situated near the mouth of the Fly River in the southwestern part of Papua New Guinea. Daru is the current administrative capital of Western Province, a vast area about the size of Maine and New Hampshire combined, with some 150,000 inhabitants and a mere 50 miles of road. The Fly River itself, together with its tributaries, is the main thoroughfare of the province down which barges full of copper ore from the Ok Tedi mine and rafts of logs have been floated down to the sea to be taken to Japan and China and other destinations. The Fly is also the superhighway along which, twice a year, the inhabitants of the North and Middle Fly districts travel hundreds of miles in dugout canoes and aluminum dinghies with Yamaha outboard motors down to Daru to collect their “compensation” payments.
The Ok Tedi mine, opened in the late 1960s, remains one of Papua New Guinea’s largest sources of public revenue and foreign exchange earnings, yet Western Province remains one of the country’s poorest and least developed areas. The mining giant BHP (later to become BHP Billiton) owned the mine and at some point contaminated some portions of the upper river with cyanide and other pollutants from its gold operations. Each family certified as a recipient is entitled to 180 PNG kina (about $67) a year for each family member, so making babies of one of the more lucrative occupations the province has to offer as well as one of the few forms of entertainment available to all but those rich enough to buy a satellite dish. Roughly a third of the province’s population is certified as beneficiaries.
The tide was out the afternoon I arrived, leaving scores of boats stranded on the mudflats of the harbor. The payout wasn’t scheduled for another couple of weeks but already people and boats had started to trickle down the river, and the area resembled a combination scout jamboree, village market, and drunken frat party. The festivities generally go on until the money runs out, either drunk during the festivities or spent on provisions – pallets of beer, sacks of rice, and cartons of ship’s biscuit, SPAM, batteries, cigarettes, and canned fish – to carry back upriver.  Naturally, this is a bonanza for the three or four Chinese-owned supermarkets on the island, which constitute the only businesses apart from the island’s sole fuel distributor and a company that ships fish fillets and frozen lobster to Port Moresby, Australia, and the United States. One of the Chinese supermarkets also operates a hotel, as does the fish processor.
<div id="attachment_1115" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://www.emergingmarketsoutlook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Daru-mudflat-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1115" title="Daru mudflat 1" src="http://www.emergingmarketsoutlook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Daru-mudflat-1-300x225.jpg" alt="Daru at Low Tide" width="300" height="225" /></a> 
Daru Harbor at Low Tide
</div>
That’s pretty much it for the economy except for the provincial government and the local outposts of the national government and state-owned companies like PNG Power, PNG Ports, and the National Broadcasting Corporation, which are by far the largest source of both employment and cash.  The only other contender is the PNG Sustainable Development Program (SDP), a state-owned entity that took over BHP Billiton’s shares of Ok Tedi in exchange for the government’s assumption of all future environmental liabilities. Some two-thirds of its share of the proceeds from the mine is placed into a fund intended to develop other sources of economic growth and income to replace the mine itself, which is scheduled to shut down in 2013. There is talk of extending the life of mine by another seven years, but after that, even if copper and gold prices go through the roof, it will be uneconomical to operate.
The SDP sits on nearly a billion dollars of accumulated profits from the Ok Tedi mine, and it has a number of near-term projects that could be feasible and make a difference, as well as a few what it calls “transformational” projects to be undertaken sometime during the next 20 years or so, which could profoundly change the province’s economy and society.  The near-term projects include some roads to be co-financed with the World Bank as well as a large-scale aquaculture project and a few initiatives related to rubber and oil palm cultivation and processing. The mega-projects include a deepwater port on Daru Island, which could cost as much as $1 billion if the proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant is included; the gas project itself, which depends on discovery of commercially exploitable quantities of gas (exploration is underway); and attraction of energy-intensive aluminum and steel smelters, which would justify the construction of the deepwater port but would themselves depend on development of a 10,000-plus megawatt hydroelectric power station in neighboring Gulf Province and construction of a high-voltage transmission line over hundreds of kilometers of trackless mountains, forests, and swamps.
I have written before on this blog about the importance of building roads in underdeveloped areas, and it is hard to see how much economic development can take place without a way to move people and goods at a reasonable cost, but I am stymied by this problem. How, in such a huge area with such a small and dispersed population, do you decide where to build the roads and how do you assess whether they make economic sense? The number of assumptions you have to pile one on top of another soon makes hash of any attempt to arrive at realistic calculations and projections. If it costs, say, a million kina to build one kilometer of all-weather road, how many millions does one spend to benefit, say, a few thousand or even a few hundred people? If you built the road, who would maintain it and for how long and with what funds? Is it possible that continued cash handouts are the most cost-effective answer?
There is no question that the current system of handouts has destroyed most of what passes for private initiative. The owner of the fish factory, a local boy who went away to get an education and came back to start a successful business, puts his finger on the problem. His moist skilled fisherman make 90,000 kina, or $33,000 a year, a huge sum in a place where there is next to nothing to spend money on. You or I might think about saving these earnings to buy a boat and a truck and go into the fish processing business for ourselves, but this fisherman spends his money on betel nut, drink, and women, and has to buy a line and bait on credit when he decides he needs to go make some money. The Chinese-owned hotel where I stayed served an excellent sliced barramundi (the local fish) with ginger and onions, but when I asked for vegetables the waitress said, “We don’t serve vegetables.” And when I went to look in the local market, I found none. Why, I asked, does no one plant a vegetable garden? There is plenty of fertile land and abundant water. I was met with shrugs.  The idea had occurred to no one.
As government has grown, the population of Daru has grown, by most estimates doubling since the last census in 2000. The water supply has not kept pace. As a result, there is no water to operate a sewage system or even proper septic tanks, so human waste is collected in “night buckets,” whose contents are emptied into trucks that discharge it into the ocean at “Perfume Point,” where the ships from Port Moresby unload their containers and the municipal rubbish is also dumped.
<div id="attachment_1116" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://www.emergingmarketsoutlook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Daru-wharf-3.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1116" title="Daru wharf 3" src="http://www.emergingmarketsoutlook.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Daru-wharf-3-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224" /></a> 
Daru, "Perfume Point" 
</div>
Water is transported via an underground pipe from a reservoir on the mainland, and is stored on the island in a 400,000 liter tank, which was adequate for 10,000 people but not for 20,000, and diarrheal diseases are common, especially among children under five, who are especially vulnerable. The pump and pipeline have a fixed capacity, but if they were kept working around the clock they could keep a second tank full. It would cost no more than $500,000 to buy and install such a system, but disputes between the PNG Water Board, local land owners, and the provincial and national governments have prevented it from being done. SDP, for all its good intentions, has been unable to break the logjam.
I wish I could say Daru is an isolated case, but it’s not. I will write about my visit to Kerema, an even smaller and more remote provincial capital, in a subsequent post. But recent events just outside Port Moresby show that the handout mentality is widespread and growing throughout the country.  During the weekend of January 31-February 1, savage fighting broke out between the villages of Porebada and Boera, situated between the city and the site of the future LNG plant, which ended with four Porebada villagers dead.  Though ExxonMobil and its partners in the LNG consortium vigorously deny it, it the violence is almost certainly the result of simmering disputes over who owns the land the plant is to be built on, a question whose implications can be valued in the millions. Exxon is blamed for having failed to get the informed consent of the villagers involved, but this kind of dispute is all too common in PNG, where 97 percent of the land is under customary/tribal tenure, where clear title is almost impossible to establish, and where even if land has been duly purchased and registered someone is bound to turn up to say the land was not the seller’s to dispose of.
A week or so later, the conflict was on its way to being resolved, in a modern variant of traditional PNG style. The normal way these things would happen is that the Porebada villagers would demand compensation from the Boerans for their dead brethren, and if the Boerans failed to satisfy the demand the Porebadans would take their compensation – cash, pigs, women – by force. This, invariably, would lead to further loss of life and an ongoing cycle of raids and retaliation. This time, the Porebada villagers demanded compensation of 700,000 kina and 50 pigs, not from Boera but from the ExxonMobil consortium. On February 10 the Porebada village headman presented the list of demands to the Central Province Governor and the local Member of Parliament in a ceremony that resembled nothing so much as a celebrity charity event conducted in front of the TV cameras. Even the manly arts of war, it seems, have been subordinated to the ethos of the handout and the welfare state.
I don’t fully subscribe to the notion of the Noble Savage. For the most part, there is nothing terribly noble about the savage life. At the same time, it is beyond tragic to contemplate the descendants of Crazy Horse and Geronimo, resourceful Kalahari Bushmen and ferocious Papuan cannibal chieftains, living in squalid encampments with nothing to do but drink and wait for the next handout to arrive. It’s a fate, however, that awaits any society that has what another, more powerful, one covets. Murderous greed does eventually give way to well-intentioned efforts to bring redress and comfort to the victims, but if you judge by results there’s rarely much difference between the two.
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The Welfare State, South Pacific Style

ATLANTA, GEORGIA--(Marketwire - Aug. 14, 2009) - Enhanced Telecommunications' (d/b/a) ETI Software Solutions, Inc., (ETI) (<a href="http://www.etisoftware.com" title="www.etisoftware.com">www.etisoftware.com</a>) today announced Farmers Telephone Cooperative (FTC), will use ETI's Triad Service Delivery Platform (SDP) to integrate Microsoft's Mediaroom IP video technology to its customer care and billing infrastructure. Triad, already in full production at Farmers will also provide inventory control for FTC's IP set-top boxes, mediate Pay-per-view (PPV) billing, as well as automate the provisioning of IPTV services to FTC's expanding subscriber base serviced by Mediaroom. With Triad SDP, Farmers is also capable of supporting Caller-ID, Remote DVR scheduling and Pre-Paid IPTV services over the Mediaroom infrastructure.
With Triad SDP's fully-functional interface to Mediaroom, all IP set-top boxes and gateways will be instantly activated once they are installed at the subscriber's premise or an adjustment to IPTV services is made to an existing subscriber's account. Additionally, Triad SDP extracts all PPV and video-on-demand (VOD) purchases from Mediaroom and exports these charges for inclusion in subscribers' consolidated telecommunications services bills. Caller ID, subscriber web-based remote DVR scheduling and web-based technician installation tools are also part of the SDP suite - bringing Mediaroom's back-office support to a new level.
"When we originally implemented Triad, we had the foresight to select a product that would future-proof our initial IPTV deployment," said Brad Erwin, CEO, Farmers Telephone Cooperative. "We are realizing our strategy of investing in a product to help us cost-effectively and rapidly interface with Microsoft's Mediaroom platform on-time and on-budget."
"Farmers Telephone Cooperative - a long time customer - selected Triad as its platform of choice based on our more than 20 years experience and our proven deployments at both large and small carriers nationwide," said Peter M Pifer, Chief Executive Officer, ETI Software. "In deploying IPTV services, FTC continues to be one of the nation's most advanced telephone cooperatives and we look forward to FTC's continued growth."
About Enhanced Telecommunications, Inc. d/b/a ETI Software Solutions (<a href="http://www.etisoftware.com" title="www.etisoftware.com">www.etisoftware.com</a>)
ETI Software's world-class software products enable telephone, utilities and municipalities to successfully sell, bill and activate telecommunication services. With unparalleled provisioning capabilities, ETI's products instantaneously activate voice, video and data services to any technology over any network topography, including Fiber-to-the-Premise. Founded in 1992, the company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and privately held.
About Farmers Telephone Cooperative, Inc (<a href="http://www.ftc-i.net/" title="http://www.ftc-i.net/">http://www.ftc-i.net/</a>)
Farmers Telephone Cooperative, Inc. (FTC), founded in 1951, is a local, multi-faceted telecommunications company headquartered in Kingstree, SC. Serving over 60,000 customers within a coverage area of 3000 miles, the cooperative provides cutting-edge technology to businesses and residents in Williamsburg, Lee, Sumter, Clarendon and Florence counties. A veteran in the telephone industry, FTC is the 3rd largest telephone cooperative in the United States and now offers an impressive array of advanced telecom services that once might have been assumed simply not to be available to rural citizens.

First Trust Large Cap Growth Opportunities AlphaDEX Fund

Farmers Telephone Cooperative Selects ETI's Triad to Integrate Microsoft Mediaroom

ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwire - August 10, 2009) - CustomerCentric Selling® (CCS), a proven 
methodology for predictably improving revenue growth and sales performance, 
today announced that Decision Dynamics Technology (Decision Dynamics), a 
premier supplier of software products and services for financial controls, 
capital projects, operations and maintenance headquartered in Calgary, 
Alberta, has seen strong results after implementing the CustomerCentric 
Selling® methodology earlier this year.

In February, Decision Dynamics enlisted the help of Michael Harris, 
CustomerCentric Selling® Business Partner, to study their challenges and 
develop the sales process that would address those challenges and help them 
achieve their goals. Decision Dynamics' primary challenge was navigating 
through a sales culture that was product-centric and focused on selling 
features and functionality instead of focusing on the tremendous value 
their product is delivering to clients. In applying a customer-centric 
approach, Decision Dynamics' sales force is now able to first have 
meaningful conversations with customers as business improvement consultants 
rather than salespeople, which then allows them to best address their 
customers' business pains with Decision Dynamics' solutions.

Since the CustomerCentric Selling® workshop and implementation, Decision 
Dynamics has seen a remarkable 65 percent increase in pipeline and will be 
delivering record Q2 revenues. To further reinforce the implementation, 
Decision Dynamics uses CCS Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to ensure they 
are deriving value for the customer through such tools as a champion letter 
or a value sheet to disqualify opportunities that waste company resources 
where the prospect is unable or unwilling to commit to solving their 
business pain and obtaining the resulting return on investment (ROI). 
These KPIs are allowing Decision Dynamics to measure not just activity but 
overall sales effectiveness. Moreover, Decision Dynamics' sales force is 
not only measured on revenue when compensated, but also whether or not they 
utilized the sales process and used it effectively.

Jason MacVicar, EVP of Sales for Decision Dynamics Technology, states, 
"With CustomerCentric Selling®, our salespeople have completely shifted 
how they approach prospects, going from product to business results and 
seeking strong ROI with aid of the CCS Solution Development PrompterT 
(SDP). If the prospect is not willing to explore the potential ROI from 
using Decision Dynamics Solutions, they move on to the next opportunity, 
whereas before we would end up wasting valuable time and resources."

Further, the entire Decision Dynamics organization, including Accounting, 
Marketing, Product Development, Sales, and Support, is using the 
CustomerCentric Selling® methodology as a common and coordinating 
organizational framework for working and communicating with their prospects 
and clients. This coordinating framework is allowing Decision Dynamics to 
focus on the solving the customer's problems and driving improvements to 
their customers' bottom line results. More importantly, the corporate-wide 
adoption ensures that all facets of the organization are speaking the same 
language. Especially when looking at surviving a down economy given the 
current times, Decision Dynamics credits the CustomerCentric Selling® 
methodology for helping them sell through value, not product. This culture 
change for Decision Dynamics has already begun to provide measurable 
results in their success.

Michael Harris, CustomerCentric Selling® Business Partner, states, "I am 
very pleased to see how well the methodology has helped Decision Dynamics 
Technology revolutionize how they sell. I am confident they will continue 
to reap great reward from the CustomerCentric Selling® approach as they 
grow into the future."

About CustomerCentric Selling®

CustomerCentric Selling® (CCS) is a proven methodology for predictably 
improving revenue growth and sales performance. Founded in 2002, CCS helps 
clients worldwide to implement repeatable, auditable and scalable sales 
processes that, when combined with Sales Ready Messaging®, guides 
marketing and sales to have meaningful conversations with customers and 
prospects. This results in winning high-value deals, retaining and growing 
client relationships and improving the predictability and accuracy of sales 
forecasts.

In addition to Integrity Data, major global organizations such as 
Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Business Objects, Rockwell Automation, EMC and 
Raytheon have deployed CCS worldwide. CustomerCentric Selling® was named 
Top Sales Training Methodology Company for 2009 by Training Industry and 
made Selling Power's Top 10 Sales Process Companies list in the Sales 2.0 
section of their June 2009 issue. For additional information, visit 
<a href="http://www.customercentric.com">www.customercentric.com</a>, or call Jill Clark at +1.800.993.1228, ext. 706.

About Michael Harris, CustomerCentric Selling® Business Partner

Michael's expertise spans over 20 years based on his ability to sell and 
lead a sales team by implementing a systemic sales process. His knowledge 
includes various sales and sales management experiences in financial 
services and enterprise sales to CFO/CEO's of Global Fortune 1000 
companies. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of 
Toronto and a graduate degree in finance (Chartered Financial Analyst I). 
In today's highly competitive sales market, Michael helps his clients in 
technology, financial/professional services and other industries involved 
in complex sales turn the way they sell into one of their most powerful 
competitive advantages via his sales process and change management 
understanding. Michael can be reached by email <a href="mailto:mharris@customercentric.com">mharris@customercentric.com</a> 
or +1.416.203.7227.

About Decision Dynamics Technology Ltd.

Decision Dynamics is a premier supplier of project controls and real time 
operations reporting software designed to provide better project visibility 
by unifying the project data and knowledge needed to make better faster 
project management decisions. 
Our flagship product, Oncore, provides real time cost information, contract 
validation, and approvals for operations management and capital projects. 
We focus on the superior management of the labor, equipment, materials, and 
expense data and metrics for business operations and capital projects. Our 
customers are E&amp;C and operating companies that perform projects in the 
normal course of business. 
Decision Dynamics is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. It operates a 
wholly-owned foreign subsidiary in the United States, and has offices in 
Edmonton, Alberta, with its headquarters in Calgary, Alberta. Decision 
Dynamics trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "DDY." For 
more information, visit <a href="http://www.ddytech.com">www.ddytech.com</a>.

The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or 
accuracy of this release.

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CustomerCentric Selling(R) Helps Decision Dynamics Technology Produce Record Revenue Through Facilitating Greater Value for Customers

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