8 Of 11 Sectors Fall Wednesday As Defensives Lead
Three sectors are higher and eight are lower in Wednesday’s regular session, with defensive sectors holding the top three positions. The leaders are separated rather than clustered, with no single sector pulling away from the group.
| Sector | Ticker | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Care | XLV | 172.31 | +1.56% |
| Consumer Staples | XLP | 84.72 | +0.62% |
| Energy | XLE | 67.30 | +0.14% |
| Materials | XLB | 49.31 | -0.83% |
| Industrials | XLI | 167.06 | -0.96% |
| Communication Services | XLC | 111.15 | -1.01% |
| Consumer Discretionary | XLY | 111.17 | -1.06% |
| Real Estate | XLRE | 41.36 | -1.13% |
| Financials | XLF | 54.17 | -1.19% |
| Utilities | XLU | 41.33 | -1.29% |
| Technology | XLK | 193.54 | -1.40% |
Prices as of 11:00 a.m. ET; quotes delayed 15 minutes.
Market Snapshot
The major averages are all lower. The State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) is down 0.70% and the Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 (NASDAQ:QQQ) 0.98%, while the State Street SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (NYSE:DIA) is down 0.13% and the iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund (NYSE:IWM) 1.32%, the steepest decline of the group. Three of the 11 sectors outpace the S&P 500.
Leading Sectors
Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLV) +1.56%
Among the sector’s large-cap names, Eli Lilly and Co (NYSE:LLY) is up 3.24%, AbbVie Inc (NYSE:ABBV) 2.95% and UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE:UNH) 2.77%.
Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLP) +0.62%
Among the sector’s large-cap names, Walmart Inc (NASDAQ:WMT) is up 1.63%, Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ:COST) 1.29% and Procter & Gamble Co (NYSE:PG) 0.87%.
Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLE) +0.14%
Among the sector’s large-cap names, Chevron Corp (NYSE:CVX) is up 0.97%, ExxonMobil Holdings Corp (NYSE:XOM) 0.70% and ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) 0.41%.
Middle Of The Pack
- Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLB) -0.83%
- Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLI) -0.96%
- Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLC) -1.01%
- Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLY) -1.06%
- Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLRE) -1.13%
Lagging Sectors
Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLF) -1.19%
Among the sector’s large-cap names, Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC) is down 7.69%, Visa Inc (NYSE:V) 0.94% and Mastercard Inc (NYSE:MA) 0.08%.
Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLU) -1.29%
Among the sector’s large-cap names, NextEra Energy Inc (NYSE:NEE) is down 0.87%, Dominion Energy Inc (NYSE:D) 0.85% and Duke Energy Corp (NYSE:DUK) 0.23%.
Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLK) -1.40%
Among the sector’s large-cap names, Oracle Corp (NYSE:ORCL) is down 6.33%, NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) 1.86% and Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ:AVGO) 1.62%.
Cross-Sector Takeaway
The 2.96-point spread between Health Care and Technology is more than twice the largest move among the major averages, which are down between 0.13% and 1.32%. Those index losses mask a session where leadership is concentrated in Health Care and Consumer Staples. Defensives are split, with Health Care near the top of the table and Utilities near the bottom.
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