The S&P 500 Index (SPY) posted yet another positive month in July. The index finished up 1.39% for the month which compared favorably with its twenty-five year historical mean return of 1.13%. Real estate securities continued their strong historical July performance with an average gain of 1.80%, which pushed the sector to an industry leading return of 16.34% for the year. The average technology fund lost .81% in the month of July which was in-line with its historical twenty-five year trend of being the worst performing sector in the month.
Below you will find the average performance for asset classes and sectors for the month of July and year-to-date.
| As of the close on 7-31-12 | July | YTD |
| S&P 500 Index Total Return | 1.39% | 11.01% |
| Asset Class Category Average Performance | ||
| Large Cap Value | 1.02% | 8.14% |
| Mid Cap Value | 0.35% | 7.19% |
| Small Cap Value | -0.82% | 5.76% |
| Foreign Large Cap Value | 0.50% | 2.82% |
| Foreign Small/Mid Cap Value | 0.06% | 5.30% |
| Large Cap Growth | 0.44% | 9.78% |
| Mid Cap Growth | -0.87% | 6.69% |
| Small Cap Growth | -1.20% | 6.48% |
| Foreign Large Cap Growth | 0.96% | 5.90% |
| Diversified Emerging Markets | 0.90% | 5.24% |
| Gold & Precious Metals | -1.56% | -15.70% |
| Real Estate | 1.80% | 16.34% |
| Broad Basket Commodities | 5.46% | 0.97% |
| Sector Category Average Performance | ||
| Technology | -0.81% | 9.12% |
| Consumer Discretionary | -0.63% | 12.71% |
| Financials | -0.15% | 11.63% |
| Telecommunications | 3.41% | 8.78% |
| Industrials | -0.42% | 6.83% |
| Utilities | 2.20% | 7.06% |
| Natural Resources | 1.55% | -3.00% |
| Real Estate | 1.80% | 16.34% |
| Health Care | 0.25% | 15.69% |
| Consumer Staples | 1.47% | 10.92% |
| Energy | 2.90% | -2.82% |
| Regions | ||
| Europe Stock | 0.80% | 5.51% |
| China Region | -1.53% | 1.01% |
| Japan Stock | -3.33% | 0.78% |
| Latin America | 0.62% | 0.41% |
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, but may initiate a long position in SPY over the next 72 hours.
