News

We provide the latest news
from the world of economics and finance

24 April
Thursday Sector Laggards: Consumer Products, Utilities

In afternoon trading on Thursday, Consumer Products stocks are the worst performing sector, higher by 0.1%. Within that group, LKQ Corp (Symbol: LKQ) and Pool Corp (Symbol: POOL) are two of the day's laggards, showing a loss of 11.5% and 5.9%, respectively. Among consumer products ETFs, one ETF following the sector is the iShares U.S. Consumer Goods ETF (Symbol: IYK), which is down 1.5% on the day, and up 7.48% year-to-date. LKQ Corp, meanwhile, is up 2.23% year-to-date, and Pool Corp, is down 14.29% year-to-date.

The next worst performing sector is the Utilities sector, higher by 0.5%. Among large Utilities stocks, NextEra Energy Inc (Symbol: NEE) and Xcel Energy Inc (Symbol: XEL) are the most notable, showing a loss of 2.3% and 1.5%, respectively. One ETF closely tracking Utilities stocks is the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU), which is up 0.2% in midday trading, and up 4.43% on a year-to-date basis. NextEra Energy Inc, meanwhile, is down 7.52% year-to-date, and Xcel Energy Inc is up 6.02% year-to-date. Combined, NEE and XEL make up approximately 14.7% of the underlying holdings of XLU.

Comparing these stocks and ETFs on a trailing twelve month basis, below is a relative stock price performance chart, with each of the symbols shown in a different color as labeled in the legend at the bottom:

Here's a snapshot of how the S&P 500 components within the various sectors are faring in afternoon trading on Thursday. As you can see, nine sectors are up on the day, while none of the sectors are down.

Sector% Change
Technology & Communications+3.5%
Materials+2.6%
Industrial+2.1%
Energy+1.7%
Healthcare+1.3%
Financial+1.3%
Services+1.1%
Utilities+0.5%
Consumer Products+0.1%
Also see:

SPPP market cap history
UTSL Videos
GRSH market cap history

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

х
Risk warning: Trading on financial markets carries risks. The value of the investments can both increase and decrease and the investors may lose all their investment capital. In case of a leveraged product, the loss may be more than the initial capital invested. Detailed information on risks associated with trading on financial markets can be found in General Terms and Conditions for the Provision of Investment Services.