NYSEArca - Delayed Quote USD

Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLU)

66.92

+0.18

(+0.27%)

At close: April 25 at 4:00 PM EDT

66.70

-0.22

(-0.33%)

After hours: April 25 at 7:55 PM EDT

4 best defensive plays according to this portfolio manager

Earnings season — among many other factors — has the stock market (^DJI, ^IXIC, ^GSPC) stressed, resulting in heightened volatility. Tidal Financial Group portfolio manager Michael Gayed joins Wealth! to share his perspective on why investors should adopt a defensive stance through very specific sectors. Gayed, the publisher of The Lead-Lag Report, explains that playing the market defensively involves asking, "How do you lower exposure to the factor that is likely to be most volatile?" He identifies four key areas that not only serve as leading indicators of market volatility but also tend to benefit during such periods: utilities (XLU), gold (GC=F), long-duration Treasurys (^TYX, ^TNX, ^FVX), and the US dollar. Gayed also addresses the market's concerns about geopolitical risks and long-term blowbacks to stocks. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Wealth! This post was written by Angel Smith

Yahoo Finance Video yesterday

^GSPC

XLU
+0.27%
Utilities: Where AI fits into the future of this sector play

The utilities sector (XLU) has remained nearly flat year-to-date when compared to the massive gains seen in other sectors in 2024, such as technology. Citi Equity Analyst Ryan Levine believes that the utilities sector's poor performance has gone on for too long, pointing to AI as "the real emerging story" that will "create a demand growth for the industry at large." "There's two groups of companies — companies on the regulated utility side and then on the unregulated side," Levine explains to Yahoo Finance. "On the regulated side, companies as you articulate in terms of close proximity to the data center buildout. So we identify Georgia as a state that's very attractive and are recommending Southern Company (SO) on that theme." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief. Editor's note: This article was written by Luke Carberry Mogan.

Yahoo Finance Video 16 days ago

JXI

XEL

NEE
April is usually worst month for chip stocks. Will this continue?

Markets' Volatility Index (^VIX) is surging ahead by over 10% Tuesday morning, the second trading session in April. The month has historically been a period of "unwinding" momentum for stocks, according to BTIG Managing Director and Chief Market Technician Jonathan Krinsky. Krinsky joins Yahoo Finance Live to discuss whether the month — which is also the beginning of 2024's second quarter — could put a pause on year-to-date gains across markets and industries like the semiconductor landscape: "It's actually the worst month of the year on average for long-short momentum strategies. We're seeing areas like semis, which have had an amazing run starting to pull back. And then you're seeing areas like utilities which have lagged over the last few months start to actually perform well. There's different parts of the market doing different things. But, ultimately when you get that kind of momentum, that correlation break, that's when you see the rising Vix like we're seeing today." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance Live. Editor's note: This article was written by Luke Carberry Mogan.

Yahoo Finance Video 23 days ago

^IXIC

^SOX

^VXN
Fed's Preferred Inflation Gauge Rose 2.8%, as Expected

February's monthly inflation rate cooled from January and rose less than analysts had expected.

etf.com 27 days ago

VFIAX

VFINX

VOO
Inflation: Why your electricity costs keep going up

Electricity is the only component within the energy index that is still seeing a year-over-year increase in inflation.

Yahoo Finance 2 months ago

PCG

XLU
+0.27%
RBC downgrades tech sector on valuation concerns

RBC Capital Markets analyst Lori Calvasina has downgraded the technology sector from an "Overweight" rating to "Market Weight" after an impressive 2023 performance stirred doubts around current valuations. Offsetting its tech downgrade, RBC lifted ratings for the consumer discretionary and utilities sectors. Yahoo Finance's Josh Schafer breaks down the details. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance Live. Editor's note: This article was written by Angel Smith

Yahoo Finance Video 3 months ago

XLY
+0.09%
XLU
+0.27%
XLK
-0.22%
Investors will face choppy trading in 2024: Strategist

The S&P 500 (^GSPC) has been on a run in December, almost reaching its all-time high. The outlook for 2024 has been up for debate as current economic headwinds leave a level of uncertainty. Tom Hainlin, U.S. Bank Wealth Management Senior Investment Strategist, joins Yahoo Finance to discuss why he believes 2024 may be a somewhat difficult year for investors due to the Federal Reserve Hainlin expects a slowdown in the first half of the year, due to higher rates starting to take their toll and the economy getting into "a sluggish growth rate." Hainlin does feel there is a bit of hope for investors. He likes dividend-paying stocks during the first half of the year, but says that the tailwinds remain for some of the major thematic trends such as AI, robotics, and cybersecurity. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance Live.

Yahoo Finance Video 3 months ago

XLU
+0.27%
XLK
-0.22%
Could the utilities sector be October's standout star?

Stocks have been feeling the heat in the month of October, with only a few sectors being the exception. One of which is the utilities sector, leading in monthly gains while lagging the farthest behind year-to-date. Yahoo Finance’s Jared Blikre deep dives into the resurgence and what investors are leaning towards. Click here to watch the full interview on the Yahoo Finance YouTube page or you can watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance Live here.

Yahoo Finance Video 5 months ago

XLU
+0.27%
Sector ETFs to Win/Lose Amid Surging Treasury Yields

Rising rate worries have been prevalent in the United States as the U.S. economy is recovering steadily and the inflation remains sticky.

Zacks 6 months ago

XLU
+0.27%
VGSIX

VGSLX
Utility stocks take a beating amid rising rates

Soaring bond yields have made the stocks less appealing. Plus, the market expects investments for new power plants, aging infrastructures, and renewable technologies to cost more as interest rates stay higher for longer.

Yahoo Finance 6 months ago

NEP

XLU
+0.27%
AEP
Utility stocks take a hit from rising interest rates

Utilities are often viewed as a safe investment with a reliable dividend but recently, the sector has been hit by rising interest rates. The Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLU) is down 21% year-to-date. Yahoo Finance Senior Business Reporter Ines Ferre joins the live show to explain how higher interest rates are taking a toll on the sector. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance Live.

Yahoo Finance Video 6 months ago

XLU
+0.27%
NEE
The 2023 stock market rally got a lot healthier in June and July

After narrow leadership earlier in the year, broader participation in this year's stock market rally helped turn aside one of the most popular bear cases that nagged markets into the summer months.

Yahoo Finance 8 months ago

GOOG

GOOGL

XLB
+0.71%
Buy Lennar & UnitedHealth, Sell utilities: Portfolio manger's top trades

Aptus Capital Advisors Portfolio Manager David Wagner joins Yahoo Finance Live to discuss some of his preferred stock trades: Buy Lennar (LEN) and UnitedHealth (UNH), sell utilities (XLU) and Vanguard's Real Estate Index Fund (VNQ). Homebuilder Lennar's stock is on the path to reach new heights in 2023, closing at an all-time high of $133.24 on July 14. Wagner calls the homebuilder company the "alpha architect" in housing buydowns that see homebuyers squeezed out of markets due to mortgage rates. Next is UnitedHealth Group, whose stock price sits above $500. The health care provider may be "one of the highest quality stocks in the S&P 500" while positioned to utilize AI in its data. Wagner outlines how the utilities sector, with its defensive nature, could be competing with Two-Year Treasury Yields. "It's the most expensive house in the most expensive neighborhood," Wagner said of utilities' position in the S&P 500. Lastly, Wagner takes on the commercial real estate sector, warning that there could be "more degradation in the valuation of these securities." As housing market and banking pressures weigh on the commercial real estate market, brokers aren't "going to take these projects on, so you're not going to have growth in that."

Yahoo Finance Video 8 months ago

XLU
+0.27%
VGSIX

VGSLX

Performance Overview

Return	XLU	Category
YTD	+6.25%	+3.43%
1-Year	-1.34%	+0.86%
3-Year	+3.24%	+3.09%

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Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLU)

4 best defensive plays according to this portfolio manager

Utilities: Where AI fits into the future of this sector play

April is usually worst month for chip stocks. Will this continue?

Fed's Preferred Inflation Gauge Rose 2.8%, as Expected

Inflation: Why your electricity costs keep going up

RBC downgrades tech sector on valuation concerns

Investors will face choppy trading in 2024: Strategist

Could the utilities sector be October's standout star?

Sector ETFs to Win/Lose Amid Surging Treasury Yields

Utility stocks take a beating amid rising rates

Utility stocks take a hit from rising interest rates

The 2023 stock market rally got a lot healthier in June and July

Buy Lennar & UnitedHealth, Sell utilities: Portfolio manger's top trades

Performance Overview