As of midday Wednesday, the Materials sector is the top performer, rising by 1.3%. Albemarle Corp. (ALB) and Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (FCX) are key contributors, increasing by 7.7% and 3.6%, respectively. Notably, the Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB) is up 1.0% today and 9.18% year-to-date.
In the Energy sector, which is up 1.1%, APA Corp (APA) and Valero Energy Corp (VLO) have gained 2.6% and 2.2%, respectively. The Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) is also up 1.2% for the day, and 2.67% so far this year.
Year-to-date, Albemarle Corp. is down 20.40%, while Freeport-McMoRan is up 20.67%. APA Corp. has decreased by 13.63% year-to-date, while Valero is up 16.91%. Combined, ALB and FCX represent approximately 5.9% of XLB, and APA and VLO account for about 3.7% of XLE.
