Connect with us

Markets in a Minute

All S&P 500 Sectors and Industries, by Size

Published

on

View the full-size version of this infographic. Buy the poster.

S&P 500 sectors and industries

S&P 500 Sectors and Industries

All of the S&P 500 Sectors and Industries, by Size

View the high resolution version of this infographic. Buy the poster.

The S&P 500 is one of the most widely quoted stock market indexes, but do you know how it’s comprised? From soft drinks to semiconductors, the benchmark index tracks an extremely wide variety of industries across the U.S. economy.

In this Markets in a Minute chart from New York Life Investments, we show every sector and its underlying industries by size.

A Sector View

At a high level, the S&P 500 tracks broad segments of the economy known as sectors. Here’s how the percentage allocation in the index breaks down:

SectorPercent of S&P 500 Index
Information Technology27.48%
Health Care14.58%
Consumer Discretionary11.18%
Communication Services10.90%
Financials9.89%
Industrials7.90%
Consumer Staples7.05%
Utilities3.13%
Real Estate2.80%
Materials2.56%
Energy2.53%

Data as of July 31, 2020.

Information technology, which makes up almost 28% of the index, has outperformed other sectors by a wide margin so far in 2020. At the other end of the spectrum, real estate, materials, and energy each make up less than 3% of the index.

Diving Deeper: An Industry View

While investors are likely familiar with sectors, the specific underlying industries may be lesser known. Below is a complete industry breakdown of the S&P 500.

Click “Next” to view industry breakdowns of each sector

SectorIndustry% of Sector
Communication Services
Advertising0.63%
Alternative Carriers0.32%
Broadcasting1.23%
Cable & Satellite9.86%
Integrated Telecommunication Services15.22%
Interactive Home Entertainment4.18%
Interactive Media & Services51.52%
Movies & Entertainment14.69%
Publishing & Printing0.22%
Communication Services (cont'd)Wireless Telecommunication Services2.12%
Consumer Discretionary
Apparel Retail3.39%
Apparel, Accessories & Luxury Goods1.27%
Auto Parts & Equipment0.94%
Automobile Manufacturers1.89%
Automotive Retail2.97%
Casinos & Gaming0.98%
Computer & Electronics Retail0.75%
Consumer Electronics0.47%
Consumer Discretionary (cont'd)Department Stores0.10%
Distributors0.71%
Footwear4.00%
General Merchandise Stores4.40%
Home Furnishings0.33%
Home Improvement Retail13.16%
Homebuilding2.19%
Hotels, Resorts & Cruise Lines2.05%
Household Appliances0.34%
Housewares & Specialties0.21%
Consumer Discretionary (cont'd)Internet & Direct Marketing Retail47.65%
Leisure Products0.31%
Restaurants10.44%
Specialized Consumer Services0.09%
Specialty Stores1.36%
Consumer Staples
Agricultural Products1.25%
Brewers0.37%
Distillers & Vintners2.23%
Drug Retail1.57%
Consumer Staples (cont'd)Food Distributors1.41%
Food Retail1.43%
Household Products26%
HyperMarkets & Super Centers17.15%
Packaged Foods & Meats14.79%
Personal Products2.39%
Soft Drinks21.13%
Tobacco10.28%
Energy
Integrated Oil & Gas50.88%
Energy (cont'd)Oil & Gas Equipment & Services8.13%
Oil & Gas Exploration & Production20.30%
Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing11.51%
Oil & Gas Storage & Transportation9.18%
Financials
Asset Management & Custody Banks8.08%
Consumer Finance4.40%
Diversified Banks27.43%
Financial Exchanges & Data11.91%
Insurance Brokers5.77%
Financials (cont'd)Investment Banking & Brokerage6.63%
Life & Health Insurance4.08%
Multi-line Insurance1.84%
Multi-Sector Holdings14.23%
Property & Casualty Insurance7.41%
Regional Banks7.91%
Reinsurance0.33%
Health Care
Biotechnology15.66%
Health Care Distributors1.65%
Health Care (cont'd)Health Care Equipment25.73%
Health Care Facilities1.06%
Health Care Services4.80%
Health Care Supplies1.64%
Health Care Technology0.54%
Life Sciences Tools & Services8.56%
Managed Health Care11.30%
Pharmaceuticals29.08%
Industrials
Aerospace & Defense20.41%
Industrials (cont'd)Agricultural & Farm Machinery2.58%
Air Freight & Logistics7.85%
Airlines2.27%
Building Products5.57%
Construction & Engineering0.78%
Construction Machinery & Heavy Trucks6.61%
Diversified Support Services2.09%
Electrical Components & Equipment5.66%
Environmental & Facilities Services3.20%
Human Resource & Employment Services0.27%
Industrials (cont'd)Industrial Conglomerates13.56%
Industrial Machinery10.12%
Railroads11.13%
Research & Consulting Services4.11%
Trading Companies & Distributors2.48%
Trucking1.32%
Information Technology
Application Software8.79%
Communications Equipment3.42%
Data Processing & Outsourced Services15.67%
Information Technology (cont'd)Electronic Components0.74%
Electronic Equipment & Instruments0.53%
Electronic Manufacturing Services0.48%
Internet Services & Infrastructure0.54%
IT Consulting & Other Services4.27%
Semiconductor Equipment1.95%
Semiconductors15.10%
Systems Software24.00%
Technology Distributors0.22%
Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals24.29%
Materials
Commodity Chemicals6.71%
Construction Materials4.11%
Copper2.71%
Diversified Chemicals1.46%
Fertilizers & Agricultural Chemicals6.71%
Gold8.02%
Industrial Gases27.73%
Metal & Glass Containers3.47%
Paper Packaging8.80%
Materials (cont'd)Specialty Chemicals28.45%
Steel1.82%
Real Estate
Health Care REITs6.78%
Hotel & Resort REITs1.00%
Industrial REITs12.24%
Office REITs5.85%
Real Estate Services1.94%
Residential REITs11.20%
Retail REITs7.51%
Real Estate (cont'd)Specialized REITs53.48%
Utilities
Electric Utilities62.41%
Gas Utilities1.53%
Independent Power Producers & Energy Traders1.20%
Water Utilities3.15%
Multi-Utilities31.71%

Data as of July 31, 2020.

In total, the S&P 500 tracks 126 industries, and each one presents unique risks and opportunities.

Biotechnology, which focuses on novel drug development and clinical research for treating diseases, has gained renewed interest during the COVID-19 pandemic. While successful drugs can offer high potential returns, about 90% of clinical programs ultimately fail. Investors can screen potential companies for various factors including corporate sponsor support, ample long-term funds, and a pipeline with more than one product.

Another example is aerospace and defense. Due to the high barriers to entry and significant funding from the U.S. government, this can be an attractive industry for investors. However, it can be impacted by the current government’s defense policies. For example, the aerospace and defense industry performed well after President Donald Trump was elected, and it may be influenced by the November 2020 election results.

The Big Picture

With a full view of the S&P 500 sectors and industries, investors can get a better idea of the opportunities within U.S. large cap stocks. However, it’s worth noting that it is not possible to invest directly in an index. Investors can put funds in these industries by purchasing stocks directly, or through managed products such as ETFs and mutual funds that track index performance.

By exploring every corner of the economy, investors can take advantage of growth potential in various areas—not just those trending in the news cycle.

Advisor channel footer

Thank you!
Given email address is already subscribed, thank you!
Please provide a valid email address.
Please complete the CAPTCHA.
Oops. Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Continue Reading
Comments

Markets in a Minute

The Average American’s Financial Portfolio by Account Type

From retirement plans to bank accounts, we show the percentage of an American’s financial portfolio that is typically held in each account.

Published

on

The Average American’s Financial Portfolio by Account Type

Where does the average American put their money? From retirement plans to banks, the typical financial portfolio includes a variety of accounts.

In this graphic from Morningstar, we explore what percentage of a person’s money is typically held within each account.

Breaking Down a Typical Financial Portfolio

People put the most money in employer retirement plans, which make up nearly two-fifths of the average financial portfolio. Bank accounts, which include checking, savings, and CDs, hold the second-largest percentage of people’s money.

Account Type% of Financial Portfolio
Employer retirement plan38%
Bank account23%
Brokerage/investment account14%
Traditional IRA10%
Roth IRA7%
Crypto wallet/account4%
Education savings account3%
Other1%

Source: Morningstar Voice of the Investor Report 2024, based on 1,261 U.S. respondents.

Outside of employer retirement plans and bank accounts, the average American keeps nearly 40% of their money in accounts that advisors typically help manage. For instance, people also hold a large portion of their assets in investment accounts and IRAs.

Three pages with data visualizations that are zoomed out so they arent fully readable along with the text

Account Insight for Advisors

Given the large focus on retirement accounts in financial portfolios, advisors can clearly communicate how they will help investors achieve their retirement goals. Notably, Americans say that funding retirement accounts is a top financial goal in the next three years (39% of people), second only to reducing debt (40%).

Americans also say that building an emergency fund is one of their financial goals (35%), which can be supported by the money they hold in bank accounts. However, it can be helpful for advisors to educate clients on the lower return potential of savings accounts and CDs. In comparison, advisors can highlight that investment or retirement accounts can hold assets with more potential for building wealth, like mutual funds or ETFs. With this knowledge in mind, clients will be better able to balance short-term and long-term financial goals.

The survey results also highlight the importance of advisors staying up to date on emerging trends and products. People hold 4% of their money in crypto accounts on average, and nearly a quarter of people said they hold crypto assets like bitcoin. Advisors who educate themselves on these assets can more effectively answer investors’ questions.

Two pages of data visualization zoomed out so they aren't fully readable, along with the text

Advisor channel footer

Thank you!
Given email address is already subscribed, thank you!
Please provide a valid email address.
Please complete the CAPTCHA.
Oops. Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Continue Reading

Markets in a Minute

5 Factors Linked to Higher Investor Engagement

Engaged investors review their goals often and are more involved in decisions, but which factors are tied to higher investor engagement?

Published

on

Partial bar chart showing the factors linked to higher investor engagement along with a picture of a man looking at a cell phone.

5 Factors Linked to Higher Investor Engagement

Imagine two investors. One investor reviews their investment goals every quarter and actively makes decisions. The second investor hasn’t reviewed their goals in over a year and doesn’t take part in any investment decisions. Are there traits that the first, more involved investor would be more likely to have?

In this graphic from Morningstar, we explore five factors that are associated with high investor engagement.

Influences on Investor Engagement

Morningstar scores their Investor Engagement Index from a low of zero to a high of 100, which indicates full engagement. In their survey, they discovered five traits that are tied to higher average engagement levels among investors.

FactorInvestor Engagement Index Score (Max = 100)
Financial advisor relationshipDon’t work with financial advisor: 63
Work with financial advisor: 70
Sustainability alignmentNo actions/alignment: 63
Some/full alignment: 74
Trust in AILow trust: 61
High trust: 74
Risk toleranceConservative: 62
Aggressive: 76
Comfort making investment decisionsLow comfort: 42
High comfort: 76

Morningstar’s Investor Engagement Index is equally weighted based on retail investors’ responses to seven questions: feeling informed about composition and performance of investments, frequency of investment portfolio review, involvement in investment decision-making, understanding of investment concepts and financial markets, frequency of goals review, clarity of investment strategy aligning to long-term goals, and frequency of engagement in financial education activities.

Three pages with data visualizations that are zoomed out so they arent fully readable along with the text

On average, people who work with financial advisors, have sustainability alignment, trust AI, and have a high risk tolerance are more engaged.

The starkest contrast was that people with high comfort making investment decisions have engagement levels that are nearly two times higher than those with low comfort. In fact, people with a high comfort level were significantly more likely to say they were knowledgeable about the composition and performance of their investments (84%) vs. those with low comfort (18%).

Personalizing Experiences Based on Engagement

Advisors can consider adjusting their approach depending on an investor’s engagement level. For example, if a client has an aggressive risk tolerance this may indicate the client is more engaged. Based on this, the advisor could check if the client would prefer more frequent portfolio reviews.

On the other hand, soft skills can play a key role for those who are less engaged. People with low comfort making investment decisions indicated that the top ways their financial advisor provides value is through optimizing for growth and risk management (62%), making them feel more secure about their financial future (38%), and offering peace of mind and relief from the stress of money management (30%).

Three pages of data visualization zoomed out so they aren't fully readable, along with the text

Advisor channel footer

Thank you!
Given email address is already subscribed, thank you!
Please provide a valid email address.
Please complete the CAPTCHA.
Oops. Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Continue Reading

Popular