The broader Materials Select sector SPDR XLB has gained 5.31%, since Jan 1, 2017. The upside was driven by stellar performances of major materials stock like Monsanto Company MON . Notably, the Zacks categorized Basic Materials sector gained 8.89% on a year-to-date basis, outperforming 6.75% return yielded by the benchmark S&P 500 index. Booming Chinese… Read More: Monsanto & 3 Other Basic Material Picks to Boost Gains »

On Mar 20, we issued an updated research report on fertilizer maker, Potash Corp.POT . Potash Corp.’s profits tumbled roughly 71% year over year in fourth-quarter 2016, hurt by lower year over year pricing across all businesses. Earnings and sales for the quarter also missed the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate. Potash Corp. expects full-year 2017… Read More: Potash Corp. to Gain from Higher Demand Amid Pricing Woes »

Looking at units outstanding versus one week prior within the universe of ETFs covered at ETF Channel, the biggest outflow was seen in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF ( SPY ), where 22,800,000 units were destroyed, or a 2.2% decrease week over week. Among the largest underlying components of SPY, in morning trading today Apple… Read More: SPY, VEGI: Big ETF Outflows »