Looking at long‑term trends in July, we see which parts of the market are moving up and which are falling behind. About 65% of the S&P 500 stocks are trading above their 200‑day moving average, which means most of the market is still in a bullish phase.
Utilities, Energy, and Financials Have Most Upward Moves
When we compare the 11 major sectors, utilities stand out the most. Roughly nine out of ten utility stocks are above the 200‑day line, the highest rate among all groups. Energy follows close behind with about eight out of ten stocks in an uptrend. Financials, real estate and industrials also show more stocks above the long‑term average than the overall market.
On the other side, materials, technology and consumer staples have fewer stocks in uptrends. Consumer discretionary and communication services are the weakest, with less than half of their stocks above the 200‑day average, indicating that many of them are in long‑term downtrends.
Utilities ETF Keeps Its Bullish Momentum
The Utilities SPDR (ticker XLU) shows a clear long‑term rise. The short‑term 5‑day moving average crossed above the 200‑day line on June 15, a classic bullish signal. While such crossovers can wobble at times, the overall trend stays positive as long as the short‑term line stays above the long‑term line.
Another tool, the % of XLU stocks above the 50‑day average, spikes when the value jumps from below 20% to above 80%. A recent surge in mid‑June confirmed the bullish crossover seen a day earlier.
In short, utilities and energy are the market’s strongest performers right now, while technology and consumer‑focused sectors are lagging behind.
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