Wall Street witnessed another solid month although concerns over the tax delay and high yield bonds’ sell-off triggered nervousness in the first half. The Dow Jones and the S&P 500 notched eighth straight month of gains, rising 3.6% and 2.6%, respectively.
Hopes of the tax reform bill being passed as well as rounds of upbeat economic data were the major catalysts to improved stock performance in November. This is especially true as the U.S. economy is expanding at the fastest pace in three years according to the second GDP estimate of the Commerce Department and the highest level of consumer confidence in 17 years.
Holiday optimism and jump in oil price are also adding to the strength. Investors should note that the dual tailwinds of strong corporate earnings and improving economic growth have pushed stocks higher throughout the year.
The bullishness has resulted in huge demand for leveraged ETFs as investors seek to register big gains in a short span. Leveraged funds provide multiple exposure (i.e. 2x or 3x) to the daily performance of the underlying index by employing various investment strategies such as swaps, futures contracts, and other derivative instruments. Due to their compounding effect, investors can enjoy higher returns in a very short period of time, provided the trend remains a friend.
Below, we have highlighted five ETFs that crushed the market in November with abnormal returns piled up in a short period. Moreover, these funds will continue to be investors’ darlings heading into Christmas if sentiments remain the same.
Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3X Shares (RETL – Free Report)
This ETF targets the retail corner of the U.S. consumer sector with three times (3x) leveraged exposure to the S&P Retail Select Industry Index. It has amassed about $41.4 million in its asset base while charges 95 bps in fees per year. Volume is moderate as it exchanges around 73,000 shares a day on average. The fund gained 33.5% in November.
