The best performing sector as of midday Thursday is the Energy sector, up 1.5%. Within that group, Southwestern Energy Company (NYSE: SWN) and Transocean Ltd (NYSE: RIG) are two large stocks leading the way, showing a gain of 8.0% and 6.5%, respectively. Among energy ETFs, one ETF following the sector is the Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (AMEX: XLE), which is up 1.2% on the day, and up 27.02% year-to-date. Southwestern Energy Company, meanwhile, is up 72.43% year-to-date, and Transocean Ltd is up 11.03% year-to-date. Combined, SWN and RIG make up approximately 0.9% of the underlying holdings of XLE.
The next best performing sector is the Financial sector, up 0.5%. Among large Financial stocks, Huntington Bancshares Inc (NASD: HBAN) and Northern Trust Corp. (NASD: NTRS) are the most notable, showing a gain of 4.6% and 4.2%, respectively. One ETF closely tracking Financial stocks is the Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF), which is up 1.4% in midday trading, and up 19.33% on a year-to-date basis. Huntington Bancshares Inc, meanwhile, is up 19.71% year-to-date, and Northern Trust Corp. is up 20.79% year-to-date. Combined, HBAN and NTRS make up approximately 1.2% of the underlying holdings of XLF.
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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 Thursday. As you can see, four sectors are up on the day, while five sectors are down.
| Sector | % Change |
|---|---|
| Energy | +1.5% |
| Financial | +0.5% |
| Industrial | +0.3% |
| Services | +0.1% |
| Consumer Products | -0.5% |
| Materials | -0.6% |
| Utilities | -1.1% |
| Healthcare | -1.1% |
| Technology & Communications | -2.8% |
