Nuclear ETFs Drop Sharply as Nuclear Plant Crisis Grows

As Japanese and other nuclear experts tried to contain the threat of plant meltdowns following Friday’s massive earthquake and tsunami, ETFs with a focus on the nuclear-power field fell sharply on Monday.

The Market Vectors Uranium & Nuclear Energy ETF (NLR) fell nearly 14% on very high volume Monday to trade below $22.

The iShares S&P Global Nuclear Energy ETF (NUCL) dropped 12% and was trading at $39.25 mid-day Monday, and the PowerShares Global Nuclear Energy ETF (PNK) declined about 12.7% to $18.20.

Year to date, the three ETFs tracking the nuclear industry have under-performed the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is up about 4%. NUCL has risen about 3%, while the PKN is up about 1.5% and NLR 1%.

Over the past six months, however, NLR has outperformed the Dow. It’s risen about 20%, while, NUCL and PKN have moved at about the same pace as the Dow and are up roughly 14%.