Friday’s ETF To Watch: S&P Small Cap Energy Fund (XLES)

The energy sector has been in spotlight over the last few years, as prices of oil have skyrocketed to over $140 per barrel, only to fall out hard during the recession. Last year’s Deepwater Horizon Spill surfaced a major issue in safety and oil spill response on drilling rigs, helping to spark further interest in alternative energy sources and lowering our dependence on fossil fuels. Since then, oil markets have calmed down substantially, until of course, Mideast tensions brought the precious commodity back to the forefront of investors’ minds. More recently, President Obama released his 2012 fiscal budget, which outlined less tax incentives for major oil firms, as well as more stringent offshore drilling requirements. For the time being, oil prices are relatively low considering the high prices that consumers are facing at the pump, but numerous analysts are calling for the fuel to hit $100 per barrel in the [...] Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com. Related Posts: SPDR, PowerShares Settle Ticker Dispute Next Frontier Of ETF Investing: Long/Short Trades April ETF Roundup: Launches, Filings, and Closures PowerShares Launches Nine Small Cap Sector ETFs