What Stock Sectors Rose in 2018? After Monday, None of Them

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. stocks fell sharply Monday in a broad decline that for the first time in 2018 put every S&P 500 sector into negative territory for the year.

All 11 industry groups fell in a holiday-shortened session, pressured as turmoil in Washington kept investors on edge, extending losses that came after the worst week for Wall Street in almost a decade.

The S&P 500 Utility sector collapsed 4.3 percent, its biggest one-day percentage drop since August 2011. The slump pushed the group into negative territory for the year; it is now down 2.1 percent for 2018. A similar flip occurred in the health-care sector, which dropped 2.5 percent on Monday, bringing its year-to-date move to a drop of 2.3 percent.

The S&P 500 energy sector has been the year’s biggest loser, down 25 percent. The materials sector is off 22 percent, while industrials has dropped 20 percent; both have been pressured by uncertainty surrounding trade policy, a headwind that has weighed on prices throughout 2018.

The communications-services group is down about 21 percent; recent losses have come on declines in such major components as Facebook, which closed at its lowest level since January 2017.

The S&P 500 Information Technology sector fell 2.7 percent on Monday, falling for a fourth straight session. The index has lost 9.2 percent over the recent skid, erasing its yearly gains. It is now down 8.6 percent for 2018.

Seven of the 11 S&P 500 industry groups are down more than 20 percent from their 52-week highs, meaning they are in bear-market territory. The S&P 500 itself is down 20 percent from its most recent record and down 12 percent in 2018.

To contact the reporters on this story: Ryan Vlastelica in New York at rvlastelica1@bloomberg.net;Brandon Kochkodin in New York at bkochkodin@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Catherine Larkin at clarkin4@bloomberg.net

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