With three quarters of 2011 officially in the books, it is now safe to say that the year has not played out as many investors had hoped it might. After coming flying out of the gates–most major benchmarks were solidly in positive territory after the first quarter–a perfect storm of negative developments has conspired to hammer valuations of risky assets, leaving many portfolios drenched in red ink. Most equity indexes are down considerably in 2011, with many recently testing new lows on renewed concerns about debt woes in Europe and the frustrating lack of job creation in the U.S. While the vast majority of equity ETFs are now deep in negative territory for the year, some have, of course, been hit harder than others. A handful of funds have piled up year-to-date losses that exceed 35%, with several losing almost half of their value since the start of the year. [...] Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com. Related Posts: Three ETFs Down Over 30% In 2011 Seven Best ETF Performers Of Q1 (And Five Of The Worst) Van Eck Plans Mongolia ETF Three ETFs To Watch This Week: EGPT, KWT, BNZ ETFs To Watch As Egyptian Drama Plays Out