Stock sector performance
📊 U.S. Sector & Industry Performance Report — August 22, 2026
The latest sector and industry data shows a highly rotational U.S. equity market. While the broad U.S. market remains firmly positive over longer periods, leadership is shifting aggressively toward materials, mining, healthcare, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and energy, while technology hardware, semiconductors, aerospace, airlines, utilities and banks are experiencing notable short-term pressure.
🔎 Executive Market Takeaway
Market regime: 🟡 Strong long-term trend + aggressive short-term rotation
The broad U.S. market remains healthy:
| Index | Daily | 1W | 1M | YTD | 1Y |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 U.S. Broad Market | -1.43% | +2.36% | +3.49% | +20.40% | +12.41% |
| Large Cap | -1.40% | +2.11% | +2.23% | +20.59% | +10.86% |
| Mid Cap | -1.54% | +2.91% | +7.83% | +17.83% | +15.78% |
| Small Cap | -1.52% | +3.24% | +5.25% | +23.96% | +18.09% |
| Low Cap | -1.53% | +3.03% | +6.91% | +19.92% | +16.59% |
🧭 Key observation
Small caps are outperforming large caps on both the 1-week and YTD horizons.
That is an important breadth signal. The market isn’t being supported exclusively by mega-cap stocks.
At the same time, the latest session shows substantial selling pressure across many economically sensitive and technology-heavy industries.
🏆 Strongest Industry Leadership
🥇 Top Daily Performers
| Industry | Daily | 1W | 1M | YTD | 1Y |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 Nonferrous Metals | +15.30% | +22.54% | +23.03% | +83.75% | +50.94% |
| 🥈 Gold Mining | +14.91% | +44.07% | +23.30% | +90.25% | +32.40% |
| 🥉 Mining | +14.39% | +43.48% | +22.10% | +83.77% | +31.84% |
| Basic Resources | +7.04% | +24.73% | +15.29% | +73.52% | +34.42% |
| Biotechnology | +7.30% | +13.83% | +27.56% | +33.45% | +16.83% |
| Pharmaceuticals & Biotech | +6.73% | +11.36% | +22.76% | +44.18% | +20.11% |
| Pharmaceuticals | +6.23% | +9.28% | +18.85% | +55.13% | +23.16% |
| Automobiles | +5.42% | -3.12% | -10.61% | +15.84% | -16.80% |
| Automobiles & Parts | +5.11% | -2.87% | -9.79% | +15.14% | -15.74% |
| Exploration & Production | +4.44% | +10.69% | +18.01% | +59.21% | +56.22% |
🟢 What stands out
The strongest leadership is concentrated in commodities and healthcare.
The combination of:
- 🥇 Metals
- 🥇 Mining
- 🥇 Gold
- 🛢️ Oil & gas
- 💊 Pharmaceuticals
- 🧬 Biotechnology
suggests a market experiencing significant cross-sector rotation rather than indiscriminate selling.
⛏️ Materials & Mining: The Market’s Strongest Leadership Group
This is the clearest area of momentum.
Top materials/mining industries
| Industry | Daily | 1W | 1M | YTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Mining | +14.91% | +44.07% | +23.30% | +90.25% |
| Mining | +14.39% | +43.48% | +22.10% | +83.77% |
| Nonferrous Metals | +15.30% | +22.54% | +23.03% | +83.75% |
| Basic Resources | +7.04% | +24.73% | +15.29% | +73.52% |
| Industrial Metals & Mining | +1.14% | +11.52% | +9.62% | +69.16% |
| Aluminum | +3.74% | +16.91% | -21.76% | +75.71% |
| Iron & Steel | -9.33% | +2.51% | +3.91% | +57.22% |
💡 Investment interpretation
The strength isn’t limited to precious metals.
There is simultaneous momentum across gold, aluminum, nonferrous metals, mining and industrial metals.
That creates a much broader commodity-cycle signal.
StockInsight™ view: 🟢 Strong Overweight
🛢️ Energy Remains a Major Leadership Theme
Energy is another clear winner.
| Industry | Daily | 1W | 1M | YTD | 1Y |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oil & Gas | +2.43% | +8.04% | +7.67% | +47.06% | +40.85% |
| Oil & Gas Producers | +3.64% | +9.34% | +11.27% | +49.85% | +44.53% |
| Exploration & Production | +4.44% | +10.69% | +18.01% | +59.21% | +56.22% |
| Integrated Oil & Gas | +3.03% | +8.33% | +6.63% | +43.42% | +36.74% |
| Pipelines | -1.50% | +0.10% | -0.41% | +28.12% | +28.07% |
🔥 Energy signal
The strongest part of energy is upstream exploration & production.
The group has:
- +10.69% weekly momentum
- +18.01% monthly momentum
- +59.21% YTD
- +56.22% over one year
This is one of the strongest cyclical trends in the dataset.
🧬 Healthcare: Major Rotation Into Defensive Growth
Healthcare is another major winner.
The broad U.S. Health Care Index is:
+4.37% today | +8.83% 1W | +17.96% 1M | +27.26% YTD
The underlying groups are even stronger.
| Industry | Daily | 1W | 1M | YTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biotechnology | +7.30% | +13.83% | +27.56% | +33.45% |
| Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology | +6.73% | +11.36% | +22.76% | +44.18% |
| Pharmaceuticals | +6.23% | +9.28% | +18.85% | +55.13% |
| Personal Products | +6.54% | +9.96% | +20.97% | -3.70% |
| Health Care | +4.37% | +8.83% | +17.96% | +27.26% |
| Medical Equipment | +0.61% | +12.33% | +9.37% | -12.83% |
| Health Care Equipment & Services | -0.28% | +3.84% | +8.96% | +2.20% |
🧬 StockInsight™ interpretation
This is particularly interesting because biotech and pharmaceuticals are outperforming broader healthcare.
That suggests the rotation is not purely defensive.
There is a meaningful growth component within healthcare, potentially reflecting renewed appetite for innovation, drug pipelines and biotechnology.
💻 Technology: Still a Long-Term Leader, But Under Short-Term Pressure
Technology remains one of the strongest long-term sectors, but the latest session was weak.
| Industry | Daily | 1W | 1M | YTD | 1Y |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology | -2.93% | +1.12% | +0.56% | +32.43% | +17.56% |
| Large-Cap Technology | -2.72% | +0.65% | -0.51% | +29.38% | +14.29% |
| Semiconductors | -5.12% | -2.29% | -2.25% | +57.08% | +36.20% |
| Software | -1.62% | +18.53% | +13.93% | -4.98% | -1.63% |
| Software & Computer Services | -1.82% | +7.45% | +2.45% | +7.75% | -0.28% |
| Technology Hardware & Equipment | -3.64% | -2.65% | -0.62% | +56.01% | +33.34% |
| Computer Hardware | -0.56% | -4.51% | +3.41% | +53.34% | +26.41% |
| Electronic Equipment | -8.19% | -2.85% | -1.43% | +65.81% | +36.66% |
| Electrical Components & Equipment | -8.60% | -5.47% | -4.98% | +38.98% | +29.93% |
⚠️ Important distinction
Technology is not necessarily breaking down.
Instead, the data shows a classic pattern of:
Very strong long-term performance + short-term profit taking/rotation.
Semiconductors are still up 57.08% YTD, while technology hardware is up 56.01%.
The latest declines therefore need to be interpreted against an already substantial advance.
🏦 Financials: Mixed, With Banks Under Pressure
The broad Financials Index declined 1.20%, but the internal picture is mixed.
| Industry | Daily | 1W | 1M | YTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financials | -1.20% | +1.73% | +9.26% | +9.59% |
| Financial Services | +0.05% | +3.99% | +9.73% | +5.78% |
| Investment Services | +1.82% | +3.30% | +8.74% | +10.82% |
| Insurance Brokers | +2.41% | +5.45% | +19.11% | -9.86% |
| Consumer Finance | +0.74% | +4.46% | +13.25% | +4.01% |
| Banks | -4.32% | -0.38% | +13.15% | +22.38% |
| Life Insurance | -4.15% | -1.66% | +7.51% | +15.93% |
🏦 Key takeaway
Banks are significantly weaker than the broader financial complex today.
Yet banks remain up more than 22% YTD.
This looks more like sector rotation/profit taking than a broad financial-sector breakdown.
✈️ Industrials & Transportation: Major Internal Divergence
The broad Industrials Index dropped 3.79%, but some transportation industries remain strong.
Strong areas
- 🚂 Railroads: +4.33% daily / +35.29% YTD
- 🚢 Marine Transportation: +0.95% / +43.56% YTD
- 🚚 Industrial Transportation: +0.75% / +39.01% YTD
- 🏗️ General Industrials: -1.73% / +9.81% YTD
Weak areas
- ✈️ Airlines: -8.40%
- 🚛 Trucking: -3.84%
- 🏭 Industrial Goods & Services: -3.68%
- 🏗️ Heavy Construction: -6.38%
- 🛡️ Aerospace & Defense: -5.91%
The divergence is substantial.
Railroads are strong while airlines and trucking are weak, suggesting that transportation leadership is becoming increasingly selective.
⚡ Utilities: Clear Relative Weakness
Utilities are one of the weakest major groups.
| Index | Daily | 1W | 1M | YTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utilities | -3.62% | -5.11% | -5.19% | -0.73% |
| Gas, Water & Multiutilities | -3.13% | -4.91% | -4.62% | +0.29% |
| Conventional Electricity | -3.82% | -5.15% | -5.25% | -1.07% |
| Electricity | -3.84% | -5.20% | -5.45% | -1.19% |
| Multiutilities | -3.77% | -6.12% | -6.11% | +0.26% |
🚨 Signal
Utilities are displaying weakness across daily, weekly and monthly periods.
This is a notable contrast with the strength in commodities, healthcare and energy.
🛍️ Consumer Sector: Mixed-to-Weak
Consumer industries are highly fragmented.
Winners
- 🍹 Beverages: +2.70%
- 🥤 Soft Drinks: +2.90%
- 🍔 Restaurants & Bars: +0.72%
- 🍴 Food Producers: +0.91%
- 🍎 Food Products: +1.31%
- 🛒 Food Retailers & Wholesalers: +0.38%
Losers
- 👗 Apparel Retailers: -5.97%
- 🎮 Recreational Products: -3.52%
- 🧸 Toys: -2.04%
- 🏠 Furnishings: -2.29%
- 🛒 General Retailers: -2.11%
- 🛍️ Broadline Retailers: -2.40%
- 🎰 Gambling: -3.01%?*
The broader consumer picture suggests defensive consumption is holding up better than discretionary spending.
📈 Best 1-Month Momentum
Looking at the 1-month numbers, the strongest areas include:
| Industry | 1-Month |
|---|---|
| Business Training & Employment Agencies | +55.21% |
| Gold Mining | +23.30% |
| Nonferrous Metals | +23.03% |
| Biotechnology | +27.56% |
| Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology | +22.76% |
| Personal Products | +20.97% |
| Real Estate Holding & Development | +19.44% |
| Insurance Brokers | +19.11% |
| Pharmaceuticals | +18.85% |
| Exploration & Production | +18.01% |
| Software | +13.93% |
| Health Care | +17.96% |
Biotech + commodities + energy + selected financial services are dominating monthly momentum.
🚀 Best YTD Performers
The YTD leaderboard is particularly revealing:
| Industry | YTD |
|---|---|
| 🥇 Gold Mining | +90.25% |
| 🥈 Mining | +83.77% |
| 🥉 Nonferrous Metals | +83.75% |
| Aluminum | +75.71% |
| Basic Resources | +73.52% |
| Industrial Metals & Mining | +69.16% |
| Electronic Equipment | +65.81% |
| Exploration & Production | +59.21% |
| Semiconductors | +57.08% |
| Technology Hardware | +56.01% |
| Pharmaceuticals | +55.13% |
| Computer Hardware | +53.34% |
| Heavy Construction | +50.95% |
| Oil & Gas Producers | +49.85% |
🧠 Big picture
The YTD leadership is much broader than the current-day tape suggests.
Technology remains a major winner, but commodities and mining have substantially outperformed most traditional growth sectors.
🔻 Biggest YTD Laggards
Several industries remain deeply negative despite the overall market’s strong YTD gain.
| Industry | YTD |
|---|---|
| Media Agencies | -42.15% |
| Real Estate Services | -27.06% |
| Specialized Consumer Services | -26.70% |
| Footwear | -38.13% |
| Leisure Goods | -24.19% |
| Real Estate Investment & Services | -26.91% |
| Computer Services | -6.29% |
| Software | -4.98% |
| Utilities | -0.73% |
| Household Goods & Home Construction | -7.89% |
| Apparel Retailers | -6.11% |
| Furnishings | -11.64% |
This illustrates an important point:
The S&P-style broad-market advance is masking enormous dispersion underneath the surface.
🧭 Sector Rotation Map
🟢 Strong / Overweight
Commodities & Materials
- Gold
- Mining
- Nonferrous metals
- Basic resources
- Aluminum
- Industrial metals
Energy
- Exploration & production
- Oil & gas producers
- Integrated oil & gas
Healthcare
- Biotechnology
- Pharmaceuticals
- Healthcare
Selected Transportation
- Railroads
- Marine transportation
- Industrial transportation
🟡 Neutral / Selective
- Financial services
- Insurance
- Software
- Food & beverage
- Real estate
- Retail
- Consumer services
🔴 Underweight / Caution
- Utilities
- Airlines
- Technology hardware
- Semiconductors — short term
- Electronic equipment
- Electrical equipment
- Aerospace & defense
- Apparel retail
- Leisure goods
- Media agencies
- Real estate services
💰 StockInsight™ Market Rotation Scorecard
| Theme | Signal | Score |
|---|---|---|
| ⛏️ Mining & Metals | 🟢 Strong Bullish | 10/10 |
| 🥇 Gold | 🟢 Strong Bullish | 10/10 |
| 🛢️ Energy | 🟢 Bullish | 9/10 |
| 🧬 Biotech | 🟢 Bullish | 9/10 |
| 💊 Pharmaceuticals | 🟢 Bullish | 9/10 |
| 🚂 Railroads | 🟢 Bullish | 8/10 |
| 🏦 Financial Services | 🟢 Mild Bullish | 7/10 |
| 💻 Software | 🟡 Mixed | 6/10 |
| 🖥️ Technology | 🟡 Short-Term Caution | 5/10 |
| 🛒 Consumer | 🟡 Mixed | 5/10 |
| 🏠 Real Estate | 🟡 Mixed | 4/10 |
| 🛡️ Aerospace & Defense | 🔴 Weak | 3/10 |
| ⚡ Utilities | 🔴 Weak | 2/10 |
| ✈️ Airlines | 🔴 Very Weak | 2/10 |
🔥 Top 10 Industry Momentum Signals
1. 🥇 Gold Mining
+14.91% daily | +44.07% weekly | +90.25% YTD
Exceptional momentum across every meaningful timeframe.
2. 🥈 Nonferrous Metals
+15.30% daily | +22.54% weekly | +83.75% YTD
One of the strongest commodity momentum trades in the entire market.
3. 🥉 Mining
+14.39% daily | +43.48% weekly | +83.77% YTD
Broad participation confirms the metals theme isn’t isolated.
4. 🧬 Biotechnology
+7.30% daily | +27.56% monthly | +33.45% YTD
Healthcare growth is emerging as a major rotation target.
5. 💊 Pharmaceuticals
+6.23% daily | +18.85% monthly | +55.13% YTD
Powerful combination of defensive characteristics and growth.
6. 🛢️ Exploration & Production
+4.44% daily | +18.01% monthly | +59.21% YTD
One of the strongest energy subgroups.
7. 🧱 Basic Resources
+7.04% daily | +24.73% weekly | +73.52% YTD
Broad materials participation.
8. 🚂 Railroads
+4.33% daily | +14.29% monthly | +35.29% YTD
A strong industrial/transportation confirmation signal.
9. 🥤 Beverages
+2.70% daily | +7.97% weekly | +12.98% YTD
Defensive consumer strength.
10. 💻 Software
+18.53% weekly | +13.93% monthly
Despite the latest -1.62% session, software has developed meaningful short-term momentum.
⚠️ Top 10 Weakness Signals
| Rank | Industry | Daily | 1W | 1M |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrical Components & Equipment | -8.60% | -5.47% | -4.98% |
| 2 | Electronic Equipment | -8.19% | -2.85% | -1.43% |
| 3 | Airlines | -8.40% | -6.17% | +4.71% |
| 4 | Aerospace | -6.03% | +1.22% | +5.24% |
| 5 | Apparel Retailers | -5.97% | -6.11% | -4.38% |
| 6 | Semiconductors | -5.12% | -2.29% | -2.25% |
| 7 | Heavy Construction | -6.38% | -3.63% | -10.39% |
| 8 | Banks | -4.32% | -0.38% | +13.15% |
| 9 | Iron & Steel | -9.33% | +2.51% | +3.91% |
| 10 | Utilities | -3.62% | -5.11% | -5.19% |
🧠 What the Market Is Telling Investors
The most important takeaway is not that stocks are falling today.
The more important message is where capital is going.
Capital is rotating toward:
Commodities → Energy → Healthcare → Selected industrials
while moving away from:
Technology hardware → Semiconductors → Utilities → Airlines → selected discretionary sectors
This creates a market environment where sector selection is becoming much more important than simply being bullish on the S&P 500.
📊 Breadth & Risk Assessment
🟢 Bullish factors
- U.S. broad market remains +20.40% YTD
- Small caps are +23.96% YTD
- Small caps are outperforming large caps on the weekly timeframe
- Mining and metals show extraordinary momentum
- Energy remains firmly bullish
- Healthcare participation is broadening
- Railroads and selected industrials remain strong
- Multiple non-technology groups are generating leadership
🔴 Risk factors
- Technology has experienced substantial short-term selling
- Semiconductors are down on both weekly and monthly periods
- Utilities are weak across multiple timeframes
- Airlines are showing significant downside momentum
- Banks are under pressure today
- Several consumer-discretionary industries remain structurally weak
- Market dispersion remains extremely high
🎯 StockInsight™ Final Verdict
MARKET ROTATION: 🟢 BULLISH — BUT HIGHLY SELECTIVE
The underlying market remains structurally bullish, but the leadership profile has changed dramatically.
The strongest message from the data is:
This is increasingly a commodity + energy + healthcare-led market rather than a pure mega-cap technology market.
Preferred themes
🥇 Gold & Mining
🥈 Nonferrous Metals & Basic Resources
🥉 Energy / E&P
🧬 Biotechnology
💊 Pharmaceuticals
🚂 Railroads
Areas requiring caution
⚠️ Semiconductors
⚠️ Technology Hardware
⚠️ Airlines
⚠️ Utilities
⚠️ Aerospace & Defense
⚠️ Discretionary Retail
📌 Bottom Line
The bull market remains intact, but leadership is rotating.
For investors, the current environment favors relative-strength strategies: prioritize industries with simultaneous positive weekly + monthly + YTD momentum, rather than chasing sectors that are simply strong over the longer term but currently losing relative strength.
StockInsight™ Market Regime: 🟢 BULLISH ROTATION
Breadth: 🟢 Improving
Leadership: ⛏️ Commodities / 🛢️ Energy / 🧬 Healthcare
Technology: 🟡 Profit-Taking / Rotation Risk
Overall Risk: 🟡 Moderate-High Dispersion
