Notable ETF Movers of the Day 08/04: GLD, XRT, OIH Higher; EWJ, UNG, VXX Lower

• SPDR Gold Shares (NYSE: GLD) up 1.16% to $117.33. Gold penetrates $1200/ounce on six-day rally. Seeing upside today as China announced that they would allow for more domestic banks to export and import gold in order to encourage more liquid trade. Gold bulls may expect a little pullback, but see gold reaching $1,300 per ounce by the end of 2010. August contracts are currently at the $1,200 mark, according to the NYMEX, after reaching as high as $1,203 earlier in the session.
  
  
• SPDR S&P Retail (NYSE: XRT) up 1.53% to $38.38. Led higher today by Dick's Sporting Goods (NYSE: DKS), which is up 2.6% today, as Citi made positive comments about the retailer regarding back-to-school sales. Polo Ralph Lauren (NYSE: RL) and Barnes & Noble (NYSEL BKS) are also leading retailers today on strong earnings and a possible sale, respectively.
  
  
• Oil Services HOLDRs (NYSE: OIH) up 1.23% to $109.06. Transocean (NYSE: RIG) and Diamond Offshore (NYSE: DO) are offsetting a weak day from Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI) ahead of RIG's earnings report after the market today. BHI posted their second quarter earnings yesterday, with an EPS of $0.41 and revs of $3.37, both missing views.

• iShares MSCI Japan Index (NYSE: EWJ) down 0.82% to $9.72. Japanese exporters took a hit as the dollar fell to a 15-year low versus the yen on weak economic data and talks on the U.S. Fed flooding money back into the system.
  
  
• United States Natural Gas (NYSE: UNG) down 0.32% to $7.84. Fluctuating today as supplies for the week ended July 23 came in a 2.919 trillion cubic feet, 8.9% higher than the five-year average and 3.1% lower than levels for the same period last year. Forecasts for hotter weather in the eastern and central U.S. over the next few weeks may increase demand for nat gas fueled power.
  
  
• iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN (NYSE: VXX) down 0.28% to $21.47. Investors easing fears a little today as the ADP jobs report of 42K added came in above the consensus of 25K adds, and the ISM services index was 54.3, compared to the consensus of 53.0 and 53.8 reported in June. The CBOE VIX volatility index, consequently, is up just slightly in afternoon trading.

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