Thursday Sector Laggards: Utilities, Technology & Communications

Looking at the sectors faring worst as of midday Thursday, shares of Utilities companies are underperforming other sectors, showing a 0.7% loss. Within the sector, PG&E Corp (Symbol: PCG) and Edison International (Symbol: EIX) are two large stocks that are lagging, showing a loss of 3.9% and 3.6%, respectively. Among utilities ETFs, one ETF following the sector is the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (Symbol: XLU), which is down 0.6% on the day, and up 14.65% year-to-date. PG&E Corp, meanwhile, is down 26.51% year-to-date, and Edison International, is down 29.32% year-to-date. Combined, PCG and EIX make up approximately 4.1% of the underlying holdings of XLU.

The next worst performing sector is the Technology & Communications sector, showing a 0.6% loss. Among large Technology & Communications stocks, First Solar Inc (Symbol: FSLR) and Enphase Energy Inc. (Symbol: ENPH) are the most notable, showing a loss of 6.7% and 4.1%, respectively. One ETF closely tracking Technology & Communications stocks is the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK), which is down 0.4% in midday trading, and up 11.65% on a year-to-date basis. First Solar Inc, meanwhile, is up 9.28% year-to-date, and Enphase Energy Inc., is down 50.20% year-to-date. Combined, FSLR and ENPH make up approximately 0.3% of the underlying holdings of XLK.

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 Thursday. As you can see, two sectors are up on the day, while seven sectors are down.

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