Whole Foods Deal Lifts Thinly Traded Organics ETF

An exchange-traded fund dedicated to organic products rose on Friday, lifted after Amazon.com agreed to buy Whole Foods in a $13.7 billion deal. The Organics ETF gained 2.9% in early trading, extending its year-to-date gain to 16.4%. Whole Foods is the second-largest holding of the fund, comprising 18.1% of the portfolio. Shares of Whole Foods surged 27% in heavy trading on Friday, while Amazon.com was up 3.2%. The Organics ETF is small, with only $5.5 million in assets, and it is thinly traded, with a 30-day average below 4,000 shares, according to FactSet. Only 800 shares exchanged hands in the first half-hour of trading on Friday.