Top-Performing S&P 500 Index Subsectors Since 12/14/20
Supporting Image for Blog Post

 
View from the Observation Deck  
  1. Today's blog post is for those investors who want to drill down below the sector level to see what is performing well in the stock market.
  2. We chose 12/14/20 as our start date because we wanted to show how the S&P 500 Index has performed since Joe Biden was elected president. While the election took place on 11/3/20, the Electoral College's vote on 12/14/20 made it official. 
  3. The S&P 500 Index is currently comprised of 11 sectors and 124 subsectors, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices.
  4. As indicated in the chart above, Industrials and Financials both had three subsectors on the list. Surprisingly, not a single subsector from Information Technology cracked the top 15.   
  5. As of 7/14/21, the most heavily weighted sector in the S&P 500 Index was Information Technology at 27.89%, according to Bloomberg. Financials and Industrials came in at 10.96% and 8.40%, respectively. 
  6. The 15 top-performing subsectors in the chart posted total returns ranging from 35.72% (Building Products) to 74.15% (Steel). 
  7. With respect to the 11 sectors, all of them posted positive total returns for the period captured in the chart. 
  8. From 12/14/20-7/13/21, the top-performing S&P 500 sector indices were Energy, Financials and Real Estate, up 37.11%, 32.17% and 30.80%, respectively, on a total return basis, according to Bloomberg. The S&P 500 Index posted a total return of 20.77% for the period. 
  9. There are a growing number of packaged products, such as exchange-traded funds, that feature S&P 500 subsectors.
This chart is for illustrative purposes only and not indicative of any actual investment. The illustration excludes the effects of taxes and brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred when investing. Investors cannot invest directly in an index. The S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged index of 500 stocks used to measure large-cap U.S. stock market performance, while the S&P sector and subsector indices are capitalization-weighted and comprised of S&P 500 constituents representing a specific sector or industry. 

Download a PDF of this post, please click here.
Posted on Thursday, July 15, 2021 @ 11:51 AM

These posts were prepared by First Trust Advisors L.P., and reflect the current opinion of the authors. They are based upon sources and data believed to be accurate and reliable. Opinions and forward looking statements expressed are subject to change without notice. This information does not constitute a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any security.