Notable ETF Movers of the Day 01/20: UNG, XRT, VXX Higher; GLD, QQQQ/SPY, USO Lower

• United States Natural Gas (NYSE: UNG) up 0.90% to $6.265. EIA data showed a drop of 243 billion cubic feet in nat gas stores to 2.716 trillion cubic feet. Analysts had been looking for a decline of 231 bcf to 235 bcf. Notably, yesterday, analysts polled by the WSJ were looking for a drop of 200 bcf.
  
  
• SPDR S&P Retail (NYSE: XRT) up 1.23% to $47.09. Retailers being influenced by Dillard's Inc. (NYSE: DDS) today. following a filing made with the U.S. SEC that they would be forming a wholly-owned subsidiary that will operate like a real estate investment trust (REIT). The REIT will allow DDS better liquidity.
  Shares of DDS are up 15.2% this morning.
  
  
• iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN (NYSE: VXX) up 2.14% to $32.87. The CBOE VIX is higher today following economic data showing 2010 as the weakest year for home sales since 1997. Sales of 6.91 million were also lower than in 2008, which was the lowest since 1997. Inventories are running 8.1 months, down from 9.5 months in November, but above the average high of 6 months. Philly Fed numbers came in lower than expected, and crude inventories swing into positive territory, increasing 2.62 million, compared to a drop of 2.15 million for the prior week.

• SPDR Gold Shares (NYSE: GLD) down 1.58% to $131.61. Gold sliding as the U.S. dollar recovers amid mixed economic data as jobless numbers came in below the consensus and home sales saw an uptick in December (despite capping the worst home sales year in 13), infusing postive sentiment in the U.S. economy.
  
  
• SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY) down 0.73% to $127.33, and PowerShares QQQ (Nasdaq: QQQQ) down 1.26% to $55.80. Weak outlooks from techs such as F5 Networks (Nasdaq: FFIV) and lower crude prices are affecting markets amid stronger economic data out of the U.S. FFIV shares are down 22.9% on the day, following disappointing
  guidance for Q211 given after the market closed yesterday.
  
  
• United States Oil (NYSE: USO) down 2.46% to $37.59. An increase in inventories and concerns over interest rate increases in China are sending oil prices lower today. China's GDP expanded 10.3% for 2010, adding to 9.2% growth in 2009. China's GDP in Q4 increased 9.8% from Q409.

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