Thursday’s ETF To Watch: iShares Dow Jones U.S. Energy Sector Fund (IYE)

Although energy prices have come off their 2011 highs, futures contracts are trading well above their mid-2010 levels with current prices trending near the $100/bbl. mark. This has proven to be pretty good news for energy companies across the board helping many to beat analyst expectations for the most recent quarter. Yet, while many giant oil firms have beaten estimates, earnings are down significantly for many of the world’s largest oil firms, a troubling situation for those who are heavily invested in the sector. For example, ConocoPhillips, which reported earnings earlier in the week, beat consensus expectations but also saw profits drop by 39% largely thanks to asset sales in the year ago period. Meanwhile, other large companies are seeing a decline in overall oil production, a trend that could signal slumping profits in the near future for many of the Western world’s oil majors. Thanks to these conflicting signals, investors will [...] Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com. Related Posts: Highlighting Five Free ETF Tools Three ETFs To Watch This Week: IYE, SMH, VOO Energy ETFs In Focus As Exxon Mobil (XOM) Reports Earnings Thursday’s ETF To Watch: Vanguard Energy ETF (VDE) Three Country ETFs That Could Benefit From Triple-Digit Oil