Folks, one of the top-level market sectors is in trouble this year... I'm talking about utilities.

What the Power Gauge Says Now About the Market's Worst Sector By Vic Lederman, editorial director, Chaikin Analytics Folks, one of the top-level market sectors is in trouble this year... I'm talking about utilities. In the Power Gauge, we track this sector with the Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLU). And put simply, it's not going well for this basket of stocks. XLU has lost about 1% since the start of the year. On the other hand, the broad market S&P 500 Index has soared nearly 8%. And the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index is up about 8%. That makes XLU the worst-performing sector in the Power Gauge. But for regular Chaikin PowerFeed readers, the struggle in utilities is no surprise. Today, let's take a closer look at why that is – and what our system sees ahead for XLU... Recommended Links: Make This Super Tuesday Money Move NOW This could be the SINGLE most important day of the presidential election year, but NOT for the reasons you might think. Because while most Americans will be focused on the elections and polling data... they'll be completely blindsided by a massive election surprise headed straight for U.S. stocks, according to Marc Chaikin. Which is why he's urging you to make ONE critical move with your money – before the polls close tonight. Full details here. Beat the S&P and Crushed the DOW in ONE Year? Even with all the uncertainty in America, one Stansberry Research analyst showed a small group of readers how to TRIPLE the average return of the S&P 500 and DOUBLE the gains of the Dow Jones. (And that's after the market rally of the past 12 months.) He also did it without options, cryptos, or anything high-risk. For the full story, click here. Regular readers might remember that I wrote about XLU back in early September. At the time, the fund was doing terribly. Up to that point, it was down about 13% in 2023 and was down roughly 20% over the previous year. And as I said earlier in today's essay, XLU is still struggling. We can see that using the Chaikin Power Bar. The Power Bar ratio is a "quick glance" tool... It breaks down all the stocks with Power Gauge rankings within an exchange-traded fund ("ETF"). They're color-coded as "bullish" or better (green), "neutral" (yellow), or "bearish" or worse (red). And with just a glance, we can get our system's overall take on an ETF. In XLU's case, the outlook is grim right now. Take a look at this screenshot from the Power Gauge... As you can see, XLU has an overall "bearish" Power Gauge rating right now. It only features three stocks with a "bullish" or better rating. And 15 stocks in the ETF earn "bearish" or worse grades. Back in September, XLU only had one stock with a "bullish" rating and 22 stocks with "bearish" or worse grades. That means today's numbers are a slight improvement, but this isn't enough to move the sector out of "bearish" territory. Right now, the utilities sector is still the worst-ranked in the Power Gauge. XLU ranks 11th out of 11 sectors in terms of the Power Bar ratio. Fortunately, the "bearish" turn was as clear as it gets in the Power Gauge. Take a look... As you can see, XLU was choppy but strong through most of 2022. It also held a "bullish" rating for most of the year. But later in 2022, something changed. The sector stumbled. It switched from outperforming the broad market to underperforming it. And the Power Gauge quickly flashed "neutral"... and then "bearish." Since then – and through most of 2023 – XLU has held a "bearish" rating. And 2024 isn't looking any better. XLU has maintained its "bearish" rating since the start of the year. The rating in the Power Gauge is still clear... Utilities are not the defensive play you're looking for right now. Good investing, Vic Lederman P.S. Spotting potential traps like XLU isn't the only thing the Power Gauge can do... In fact, Chaikin Analytics founder Marc Chaikin is using the Power Gauge to track an election-year event that he says is headed straight for U.S. stocks. And he's tracking it with 90% accuracy in our system. That's why Marc just put together a brand-new presentation. It details the unusual volatility an election year can bring – and what he says you need to do about it. He also shares two recommendations you can act on now. Get the details – and hear Marc's one crucial step to take with your money well before the presidential election – right here. Market View Major Indexes and Notable Sectors     # Hld:     Bullish     Neutral     Bearish Dow 30 -0.28% 13 16 1 S&P 500 -0.11% 197 245 55 Nasdaq -0.36% 44 47 9 Small Caps -0.09% 499 1037 374 Bonds -0.4% Utilities +1.69% 3 16 10 — According to the Chaikin Power Bar, Large Cap stocks and Small Cap stocks are Bullish. Major indexes are mixed. *  *  *  * Sector Tracker Sector movement over the last 5 days Real Estate +4.47% Utilities +3.33% Materials +2.65% Information Technology +2.56% Industrials +1.6% Financial +0.72% Communication +0.46% Discretionary +0.37% Staples -0.01% Energy -0.06% Health Care -0.67% *  *  *  * Industry Focus Health Care Services 10 36 13 Over the past 6 months, the Health Care Services subsector (XHS) has underperformed the S&P 500 by -11.88%. Its Power Bar ratio, which measures future potential, is Weak, with more Bearish than Bullish stocks. It is currently ranked #15 of 21 subsectors and has moved down 1 slot over the past week. Indicative Stocks CYH Community Health Sys OPK OPKO Health, Inc. PDCO Patterson Companies, *  *  *  * Top Movers Gainers HPE +10.22% NEM +5.65% D +4.26% MS +4.12% INTC +4.08% Losers TSLA -7.16% ALB -6.72% WBD -6.46% PARA -5.94% AAL -5.43% *  *  *  * Earnings Report Reporting Today Rating Before Open After Close KR, FERG CRWD, HCP CELH ROST, JWN CHPT No earnings reporting today. Earnings Surprises GTLB GitLab Inc. Q4 $0.15 Beat by $0.07 AVAV AeroVironment, Inc. Q3 $0.63 Beat by $0.29 *  *  *  * You have received this e-mail as part of your subscription to PowerFeed. If you no longer want to receive e-mails from PowerFeed, click here. You're receiving this e-mail at edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com. For questions about your account or to speak with customer service, call +1 (877) 697-6783 (U.S.), 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Eastern time or e-mail info@chaikinanalytics.com. Please note: The law prohibits us from giving personalized investment advice. © 2024 Chaikin Analytics, LLC. All rights reserved. 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