The worst performing sector as of midday Wednesday is the Energy sector, showing a 0.3% loss. Within the sector, Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) and Apache Corp. (NYSE: APA) are two large stocks that are lagging, showing a loss of 3.8% and 2.1%, respectively. Among energy ETFs, one ETF following the sector is the Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (AMEX: XLE), which is down 0.1% on the day, and down 1.72% year-to-date. Chesapeake Energy Corp., meanwhile, is down 37.53% year-to-date, and Apache Corp., is down 6.93% year-to-date. Combined, CHK and APA make up approximately 2.3% of the underlying holdings of XLE.
The next worst performing sector is the Materials sector, showing a 0.1% loss. Among large Materials stocks, Allegheny Technologies, Inc (NYSE: ATI) and CF Industries Holdings Inc (NYSE: CF) are the most notable, showing a loss of 2.2% and 2.0%, respectively. One ETF closely tracking Materials stocks is the Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB), which is up 0.1% in midday trading, and up 3.67% on a year-to-date basis. Allegheny Technologies, Inc, meanwhile, is down 6.04% year-to-date, and CF Industries Holdings Inc is up 16.46% year-to-date. Combined, ATI and CF make up approximately 3.2% of the underlying holdings of XLB.
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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, seven sectors are up on the day, while two sectors are down.
| Sector | % Change |
|---|---|
| Utilities | +0.8% |
| Services | +0.4% |
| Technology & Communications | +0.4% |
| Consumer Products | +0.3% |
| Financial | +0.2% |
| Industrial | +0.2% |
| Healthcare | +0.1% |
| Materials | -0.1% |
| Energy | -0.3% |
