Defensives Lead Sectors In Thursday Trading As Technology Trails

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On Thursday, defensive sectors led market gains while technology lagged. Health Care (+2.42%), Materials (+1.73%), and Consumer Staples (+1.50%) were top performers, with Eli Lilly and UnitedHealth Group leading in Healthcare. Conversely, Technology (-1.39%) and Energy (-1.26%) declined, driven by drops in NVIDIA and SLB. Major averages were mixed, with the Dow and Russell 2000 rising slightly while the Nasdaq fell. Leadership was concentrated in defensive names, highlighting a divergence between growth and value sectors.

Seven sectors are higher and four are lower in Thursday’s regular session, with defensive sectors holding two of the top three positions. The leaders are separated rather than clustered, with Health Care sitting well above the next group.

SectorTickerPriceChange
Health CareXLV178.17+2.42%
MaterialsXLB50.53+1.73%
Consumer StaplesXLP87.36+1.50%
Consumer DiscretionaryXLY112.95+1.30%
Communication ServicesXLC112.20+1.24%
Real EstateXLRE41.93+1.06%
FinancialsXLF54.91+0.70%
IndustrialsXLI166.49-0.33%
UtilitiesXLU41.55-0.40%
EnergyXLE66.78-1.26%
TechnologyXLK187.80-1.39%

Prices as of 11:00 a.m. ET; quotes delayed 15 minutes.

Market Snapshot

The major averages are mixed, with the State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) little changed, the Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 (NASDAQ:QQQ) down 0.70%, the State Street SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (NYSE:DIA) up 0.83% and the iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund (NYSE:IWM) up 0.99%.

Leading Sectors

Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLV) +2.42%

Among the sector’s large-cap names, Eli Lilly and Co (NYSE:LLY) is up 4.45%, UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE:UNH) 3.59% and Merck & Co Inc (NYSE:MRK) 1.91%.

Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLB) +1.73%

Among the sector’s large-cap names, Sherwin-Williams Co (NYSE:SHW) is up 3.44%, Newmont Corp (NYSE:NEM) 1.90% and Ecolab Inc (NYSE:ECL) 1.68%.

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLP) +1.50%

Among the sector’s large-cap names, Walmart Inc (NASDAQ:WMT) is up 2.44%, Procter & Gamble Co (NYSE:PG) 1.21% and Coca-Cola Co (NYSE:KO) 1.19%.

Middle Of The Pack

  • Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLY) +1.30%
  • Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLC) +1.24%
  • Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLRE) +1.06%
  • Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLF) +0.70%
  • Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLI) -0.33%

Lagging Sectors

Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLU) -0.40%

Among the sector’s large-cap names, American Electric Power Co Inc (NASDAQ:AEP) is down 1.40% and Dominion Energy Inc (NYSE:D) 0.03%, while Duke Energy Corp (NYSE:DUK) is up 0.09%.

Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLE) -1.26%

Among the sector’s large-cap names, SLB Ltd (NYSE:SLB) is down 1.29%, ExxonMobil Holdings Corp (NYSE:XOM) 1.12% and EOG Resources Inc (NYSE:EOG) 0.60%.

Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLK) -1.39%

Among the sector’s large-cap names, NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) is down 1.93% and Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ:AVGO) 1.47%, while Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) is up 0.54%.

Cross-Sector Takeaway

The 3.81-point spread between Health Care and Technology is more than three times the largest move among the major averages, which range from down 0.70% to up 0.99%. The mixed major averages mask a session where leadership is concentrated in Health Care, Materials and Consumer Staples. Defensives are split, with Health Care near the top of the table and Utilities near the bottom.

For more information on sector movers, visit Benzinga’s movers page. Get real-time market alerts with Benzinga Pro.

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