Utilities Lead Market Gains with Eversource and NextEra Driving Growth

In afternoon trading on Monday, the Utilities sector stands out as the best performer, increasing by 1.8%. Eversource Energy (Symbol: ES) and NextEra Energy Inc (Symbol: NEE) are particularly noteworthy, posting gains of 3.4% and 2.9%, respectively. Among utility-focused ETFs, the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (Symbol: XLU) mirrors the sector’s rise, up 1.8% today and 3.38% year-to-date. Yearly performance shows Eversource Energy increasing by 2.76%, while NextEra Energy Inc has declined by 4.72%. Together, these two companies constitute approximately 13.6% of XLU’s holdings.

Strong Financial Stocks Also Make Gains

Following Utilities, the Financial sector comes in as the second-best performer, rising by 1.7%. Citigroup Inc (Symbol: C) and AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (Symbol: AVB) lead large financial stocks with respective increases of 3.8% and 3.7%. The Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) tracks the sector closely, claiming a midday gain of 1.3% but remains down 1.77% year-to-date. However, Citigroup Inc has faced challenges, down 8.31% for the year, and AvalonBay Communities, Inc. also sees a decline of 7.46%. Citigroup represents approximately 1.8% of XLF’s underlying holdings.

Performance Overview: Trailing Twelve Months

For a broader perspective, the comparison of these stocks and ETFs over the trailing twelve months is encapsulated in the following chart, which visually delineates performance across different colors for each symbol:

Sector	% Change
Utilities	+1.8%
Financial	+1.7%
Technology & Communications	+1.3%
Consumer Products	+1.1%
Healthcare	+1.1%
Industrial	+0.9%
Materials	+0.9%
Services	+0.8%
Energy	+0.5%