In afternoon trading on Wednesday, Utilities stocks are the best performing sector, higher by 0.6%. Within the sector, NRG Energy Inc (NYSE: NRG) and AES Corp. (NYSE: AES) are two large stocks leading the way, showing a gain of 3.7% and 1.8%, 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 7.45% year-to-date. NRG Energy Inc, meanwhile, is down 17.88% year-to-date, and AES Corp., is down 2.89% year-to-date. Combined, NRG and AES make up approximately 3.0% of the underlying holdings of XLU.
The next best performing sector is the Healthcare sector, up 0.5%. Among large Healthcare stocks, Intuitive Surgical Inc (NASD: ISRG) and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc (NYSE: TMO) are the most notable, showing a gain of 9.7% and 2.6%, respectively. One ETF closely tracking Healthcare stocks is the Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV), which is up 0.2% in midday trading, and up 13.32% on a year-to-date basis. Intuitive Surgical Inc, meanwhile, is up 4.77% year-to-date, and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc is up 12.00% year-to-date. Combined, ISRG and TMO make up approximately 2.6% of the underlying holdings of XLV.
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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, five sectors are up on the day, while four sectors are down.
| Sector | % Change |
|---|---|
| Utilities | +0.6% |
| Healthcare | +0.5% |
| Services | +0.4% |
| Financial | +0.4% |
| Consumer Products | +0.2% |
| Industrial | -0.4% |
| Materials | -0.4% |
| Technology & Communications | -1.0% |
| Energy | -1.5% |
