The hottest stock-market sector in the past year beats technology and real estate

It may not surprise you that utility stocks have fared well as interest rates have declined, but a closer look at the sector may genuinely shock you.

Look at the bottom of the table. The 12-month returns have been paltry. This year’s euphoria is really only a recovery from the doldrums of the fourth quarter of 2018, when the S&P 500 was down 13.5% and the Dow was down 12%. If the period had closed on Christmas Eve, the S&P 500 would have been down 19% for the fourth quarter, and the Dow down 18%.

Two examples of utility ETFs that take a broader approach with very low expenses are the Fidelity MSCI Utilities Index FUTY, +0.26%, which has an expense ratio of 0.08%, and the Vanguard Utilities ETF VPU, +0.21%, with expenses of 0.10%.

I've always found it comical that when the FED, or anyone in government, says that inflation is low they exclude food and energy.

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