Retail stocks had a strong holiday season, outpacing the broader market in the 4th quarter and for the full year.
The SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) is up 16% in Q4 and 36% year-to-date. That compares to 6% and 13% respectively for the S&P 500.
According to the National Retail Federation, holiday sales were expected to grow 3.3% from last year for a total of $451 billion. In November, retail sales grew 6.8% over 2009.
The $700 million XRT holds 66 retail stocks and tracks an equal-weighted index. Top portfolio positions including Jo-Ann Stores, Office Depot, Rent A Center andWalgreen.
The fund’s expense ratio is 0.35% and dividend yield is 1.15%.
Other retail ETFs include the PowerShares Retail Portfolio (PMR) and the FTSE NAREIT Retail Index Fund (RTL).