In afternoon trading, Utilities stocks are the worst performing sector, with a 0.5% loss. PG&E Corp (PCG) and Sempra (SRE) are down 1.8% and 1.3% respectively. The Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU) is down 0.6% and up 25.81% year-to-date. PG&E Corp is up 8.32% YTD and Sempra is up 12.58% YTD, comprising 8.0% of XLU’s holdings. The Materials sector is the next worst performer, with a 0.3% loss. Albemarle Corp. (ALB) and Avery Dennison Corp (AVY) are down 3.3% and 3.1% respectively. The Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB) is down 0.5% and up 9.89% YTD. ALB is down 39.07% YTD and AVY is up 6.85% YTD, comprising 2.7% of XLB’s holdings. The S&P 500 components in various sectors show seven sectors up and two sectors down on Wednesday, with Technology & Communications leading at +0.5% and Utilities lagging at -0.5%.

Read more at Nasdaq: Wednesday Sector Laggards: Utilities, Materials