In afternoon trading on Wednesday, Materials stocks are the worst performing sector, showing a 1.5% loss. Within that group, Owens-Illinois (NYSE: OI) and Allegheny Technologies (NYSE: ATI) are two large stocks that are lagging, showing a loss of 9.3% and 5.3%, respectively. Among the high volume ETFs, one ETF closely following materials stocks is the Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (AMEX: XLB), which is down 1.6% on the day, and up 3.10% year-to-date. Owens-Illinois, meanwhile, is down 34.18% year-to-date, and Allegheny Technologies, is down 10.27% year-to-date. Combined, OI and ATI make up approximately 1.4% of the underlying holdings of XLB.
The next worst performing sector is the Utilities sector, showing a 1.1% loss. Among large Utilities stocks, Southern Company (NYSE: SO) and DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE) are the most notable, showing a loss of 2.6% and 1.9%, respectively. One ETF closely tracking Utilities stocks is the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU), which is down 1.1% in midday trading, and up 19.38% on a year-to-date basis. Southern Company , meanwhile, is up 16.00% year-to-date, and DTE Energy is up 23.02% year-to-date. Combined, SO and DTE make up approximately 10.0% of the underlying holdings of XLU.
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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 Wednesday. As you can see, none of the sectors are up on the day, while nine sectors are down.
| Sector | % Change |
|---|---|
| Financial | -0.1% |
| Energy | -0.2% |
| Services | -0.4% |
| Healthcare | -0.5% |
| Technology & Communications | -0.5% |
| Industrial | -0.8% |
| Consumer Products | -0.9% |
| Utilities | -1.1% |
| Materials | -1.5% |
