Here are the S&P 500’s best and worst sectors in 2023, as stocks hover near record high on final trading day of 2023 (2024)

A recap of the U.S. market action for Friday as investors closed out 2023.

Here are the S&P 500’s best and worst sectors in 2023, as stocks hover near record high on final trading day of 2023

Some of the beaten-down parts of the U.S. stock market this year have underperformed the technology and growth-related sectors by the widest margin on record, according to Dow Jones Market Data.

The S&P 500 consumer staples, utilities and healthcare sectors have lagged the consumer discretionary and the communication services sectors by the largest margin on record. Stocks in three lagging sectors have also significantly underperformed the information technology sector by their largest margin since 1999, according to Dow Jones Market Data.

The S&P 500 utilities and consumer staples sectors are two of the worst-performing sectors in the large-cap benchmark index this year, down 10.6% and 2.4%, respectively. Other sectors that are on pace for yearly declines include the energy sector, which has fallen 4.8%, and the healthcare sector, which remained flat as of December 28, according to Dow Jones Market Data.

At the other end of the spectrum, the information technology sector, which makes up about 29% of the S&P 500, is the best-performing sector in 2023, with an annual return of 56.8%, followed by the communication services sector’s 55.1% and the consumer discretionary sector’s 41.9% advance over the same period, according to Dow Jones Market Data.