The S&P 500 is down about 4% since the Federal Reserve’s hawkish interest rate projections last month sent U.S. yields to 16-year peaks and accelerated an equities pullback from highs reached in late July.
But surging bond yields have dulled the appeal of bond proxies. Investors can now earn higher yields on government debt seen as virtually risk free if held to term. The yield on a six-month Treasury now stands at around 5.6%, while the utilities sector was yielding 4% and staples yielded 3%, according to LSEG data.The S&P 500 utilities sector has tumbled 13% since last month’s Fed meeting.
The underperformance of bond proxies shows “the market is finally buying that we are in a completely different interest rate regime,” said Irene Tunkel, chief US equity strategist at BCA Research. The utilities sector’s steep slide has put the group in particular investor focus. Problems have been compounded by the share plunge for the sector’s biggest company by market value, Nextera Energy. Nextera shares have tumbled 27% since the end of last month, when a subsidiary, Nextera Energy Partners, cut its growth outlook.
Retail investors poured $32 million into utilities shares, far larger than any other prior five-day stretch, according to weekly data from VandaTrack, which follows retail activity.
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