The best performing sector as of midday Friday is the Utilities sector, up 0.5%. Within that group, Entergy Corp. (NYSE: ETR) and Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW) are two of the day's stand-outs, showing a gain of 1.1% and 1.1%, respectively. Among utilities ETFs, one ETF following the sector is the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (AMEX: XLU), which is up 0.5% on the day, and down 10.00% year-to-date. Entergy Corp., meanwhile, is down 17.82% year-to-date, and Pinnacle West Capital Corp., is down 14.95% year-to-date. Combined, ETR and PNW make up approximately 3.5% of the underlying holdings of XLU.
The next best performing sector is the Services sector, higher by 0.4%. Among large Services stocks, Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC) and Bed, Bath & Beyond, Inc. (NASD: BBBY) are the most notable, showing a gain of 3.2% and 2.3%, respectively. One ETF closely tracking Services stocks is the iShares U.S. Consumer Services ETF (IYC), which is up 0.2% in midday trading, and up 6.17% on a year-to-date basis. Cablevision Systems Corp., meanwhile, is up 22.58% year-to-date, and Bed, Bath & Beyond, Inc., is down 6.98% year-to-date. Combined, CVC and BBBY make up approximately 0.6% of the underlying holdings of IYC.
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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 Friday. As you can see, five sectors are up on the day, while three sectors are down.
| Sector | % Change |
|---|---|
| Utilities | +0.5% |
| Services | +0.4% |
| Financial | +0.3% |
| Consumer Products | +0.1% |
| Industrial | +0.1% |
| Energy | 0.0% |
| Materials | -0.2% |
| Healthcare | -0.3% |
| Technology & Communications | -1.5% |
