For Immediate Release Chicago, IL – July 03, 2017 – 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 Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bull 3X ETF (NYSEARCA: LABU – Free Report ), Direxion Daily South Korea Bull 3X ETF (NYSEARCA: KORU – Free Report ), Direxion Daily CSI China Internet Bull 2X Shares (NYSEARCA:CWEB – Free Report ), Direxion Daily Hmbldrs&Supls Bull 3X ETF (NYSEARCA: NAIL – Free Report ) andDirexion Daily MSCI India Bull 3x ETF (NYSEARCA: INDL – Free Report ). Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free . Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog: Best Leveraged ETFs of First Half of 2017 With the first half of 2017 drawing to a close, it is time to look back at what worked in the investment world. Leveraged ETFs sure deserve a mention here given how copiously they give returns to investors (read: Trump Slump to Oil Slide: Top ETF Stories of First-Half 2017 ). The period took dramatic turns from the Trump rally on hopes of fiscal reflation to uncertainty over his policy uncertainty, oil price relief to oil price slump and finally the emergence of international economies. On a year-to-date basis (as of June 29, 2017), the S&P 500-based ETF has gained about 9%, the Dow Jones-based ETF has advanced 8.9% while the Nasdaq 100-based has rallied around 16.7%. Needless to say, such stellar gains have had a significant impact on the leveraged ETFs. These ETFs provide multiple times exposure to the performance of the underlying index. These funds employ various investment strategies such as use of swaps, futures contracts and other derivative instruments to accomplish their objectives. Since most of these ETFs seek to attain their goals on a daily basis, their performance could vary significantly over a longer period when compared to the short period due to their compounding effect. Still, the space remains a hot area for investors looking for high returns in a short time. They must be interested to know about the top-leveraged ETF performers of the first half of 2017. A Glance at the Toppers Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bull 3X ETF (NYSEARCA:LABU – Free Report ) – Up 109.8% YTD This segment also caught investors’ attention in the first half. Easing outrage against the price gouging issue, President Trump’s pledges to reduce FDA regulations and remove taxes and fees on pharmaceutical and medical-device manufacturers favored the space (read: Forget Big Tech, Biotech ETFs are Soaring Higher ). This has led to 109.8% gains for LABU so far this year (as of June 29, 2017). The fund looks to offer three times the performance of the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index. Direxion Daily South Korea Bull 3X ETF (NYSEARCA:KORU – Free Report ) – Up 88.9% YTD South Korea underwent a presidential election in the first half. Moon Jae-In, who was elected on May 9, 2017, announced an 11.2 trillion won(about $10 billion) fiscal stimulus package in early June. The government estimates that “the extra spending will boost economic growth by 0.2 percentage point this year, which may raise its 2017 outlook from current 2.6%” (read: South Korea ETFs in Focus on $10 Billion Stimulus ). Plus, the ripple effect of the tech rally boosted the fund in the first half. The fund offers 300% of the performance of the MSCI Korea 25/50 Index. Direxion Daily CSI China Internet Bull 2X Shares (NYSEARCA:CWEB – Free Report ) – Up 81.3% YTD The first half of 2017 was all about the tech rally worldwide. Solid earnings and increasing euphoria on digitalization and e-commerce made the space lucrative. The fund offers twice (2x) the leveraged exposure to the Chinese Internet market by tracking the CSI Overseas China Internet Index(read: 5 Best Performing Leveraged ETFs of May ). Direxion Daily Hmbldrs&Supls Bull 3X ETF (NYSEARCA:NAIL – Free Report ) – Up 71.5% YTD The housing sector has been in good shape lately. If we go by the latest data points, new home sales rebounded in May after a downbeat April. Existing home sales for the month of May also increased to the third highest monthly level in a decade. Favorable mortgage rates and a solid labor market helped the sector to put up a decent show. The fund tracks 300% of the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Home Construction Index. (read: Surprise ETF Winners Post Fed Hike ). Direxion Daily MSCI India Bull 3x ETF (NYSEARCA:INDL – Free Report ) – Up 62.3% YTD India ETFs gave a stellar show in the first half on economic optimism. Decent GDP data defying demonetization, the victory of the pro-growth prime minister’s party in some state elections, implementation of goods-and-services tax or GST from July, and a weaker greenback drove Indian stocks. The underlying index of the concerned fund gives 300% of the performance of the MSCI India Index (read: Buffett Endorses India: Do ETFs & Stocks Have More Upside? ). Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox? Zacks’ free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week. Get it free >> Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has nearly tripled the market from 1988 through 2015. Its average gain has been a stellar +26% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>. Get the full Report on LABU - FREE Get the full Report on KORU - FREE Get the full Report on CWEB - FREE Get the full Report on NAIL - FREE Get the full Report on INDL - FREE Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zacksresearch!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Re... Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com/ Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report DIRX-D SP BBULL (LABU): ETF Research Reports DIR-D S KR BL3X (KORU): ETF Research Reports DIR-D CII BL2X (CWEB): ETF Research Reports DIR-D HB&SP BU3 (NAIL): ETF Research Reports DIR-D IN BL 3X (INDL): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research