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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: XAR, PPA, GLD, FXY and PSCC

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – June 12, 2018 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (XAR - Free Report) , Invesco Aerospace & Defense ETF (PPA - Free Report) , SPDR Gold Shares (GLD - Free Report) , Invesco CurrencyShares Japanese Yen ETF (FXY - Free Report) and Invesco S&P SmallCap Consumer Staples ETF (PSCC - Free Report) .

Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.

Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blog:

ETFs to Watch Ahead of U.S./North Korea Summit

The United States and North Korea are gearing for the historic summit to be held in Singapore on Jun 12. U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will discuss denuclearization.

The likelihood of this meeting was in question even a few days back as Trump had called it off in late May citing North Korea’s “tremendous anger and open hostility” toward Washington. However, North Korean chief adopted a peacemaking tone, probably sensing possibilities of a war, after which the summit was fixed.

Strained relations between the United States and North Korea have been dominating the headlines for long. Now, the countries will come together to discuss how prolonged peace can be maintained on the Korean Peninsula.

However, it will be hard to reach a simple solution over denuclearization. According to Pyongyang, it will only relinquish nuclear weapons (what the United States wants from North Korea) if Washington complies with certain conditions, including eliminating American troops from South Korea.

North Korea also wants "the U.S. regional nuclear umbrella" to end. This is a security plan under which Washington vows to hit back on behalf of close allies if they face a nuclear attack, per CNBC.

Thus, it goes without saying that if the summit fails to reach a peaceful conclusion over denuclearization, tensions will linger. This puts the following ETF areas in focus.

Likely Gainers

Defense

Any negative developments in the U.S.-North Korea relationship will turn investors to defense stocks and related funds as the sector benefits from war-related tensions. This puts the spotlight on defense ETFs like SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF and Invesco Aerospace & Defense ETF.

Gold

Gold is often viewed as a safe-haven asset that provides a hedge against financial risks and may perform well during heightened market volatility. SPDR Gold Shares gained about 0.1% on Jun 8.

Yen

The Japanese currency, yen, is often considered a classic safe-haven asset.  Also, slightly lower expectations of a faster Fed rate hike this year dampened the dollar to some extent and might boost the yen.

Investors can target this currency via FXY, which measures the value of yen against the greenback. Invesco CurrencyShares Japanese Yen ETF advanced 0.2% on Jun 8 (see: all the Currency ETFs here).

Consumer Staples

If we look for any sector-specific winners, safe and non-cyclical sectors like consumer staples should stand out. Also, a small-cap criterion attached to it will benefit investors as these pint-sized stocks are domestically-focused and have less to do with geo-political tensions. Invesco S&P SmallCap Consumer Staples ETF should thus be closely watched (read: Fed, Trade & Global Politics to Rule June: 6 ETF Picks).

Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1 Stock of the Day pick for free.

About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

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