Monday's Top Sectors: Utilities and Services
Utilities Sector Performance: The Utilities sector is the best performer, up 0.5%, with Public Service Enterprise Group Inc (PEG) and Constellation Energy Corp (CEG) gaining 1.8% and 1.5%, respectively. The Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU) is also up 0.5% on the day and 15.94% year-to-date.
Year-to-Date Performance of Utilities Stocks: Year-to-date, PEG is down 1.95%, while CEG has increased by 60.40%. Together, these companies represent about 11.5% of XLU's holdings.
Services Sector Performance: The Services sector follows closely, up 0.4%, with notable gains from Expedia Group Inc (EXPE) at 3.4% and Comcast Corp (CMCSA) at 3.2%. The iShares U.S. Consumer Services ETF (IYC) remains flat for the day but is up 9.12% year-to-date.
Year-to-Date Performance of Services Stocks: EXPE has risen 52.95% year-to-date, while CMCSA is down 21.64%. EXPE constitutes approximately 0.5% of IYC's holdings.
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Expert Insight: Ulrike Hoffman-Burchardi, UBS Wealth Management's chief investment officer, emphasizes that the catalysts for 2026 are more significant than the potential for a year-end rally.
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Dividend Declaration: State Street® Utilities Select Sector SPDR® ETF (XLU) has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.3172 per share, payable on December 24 to shareholders of record on December 22, with an ex-dividend date also on December 22.
Yield Information: The 30-Day SEC Yield for XLU is reported at 2.73% as of December 18.
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Energy Supply Issues: The U.S. has ordered a Washington coal plant to remain operational to prevent winter energy shortages, while the Pacific Northwest has experienced significant power outages due to severe storms.
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