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Friday, May 31, 2:49 PM Stocks turn lower (DIA -0.5%) 90 minutes ahead of the bell as Treasury prices tumble anew (TLT -1.2%), the 10-year yield gaining another 9 bps to 2.20%. The levered Treasury short ETF (TBT +2.5%) hits a 52-week high. Again hardest hit are the previously hot defensive sectors whose yields no longer stand so tall over Treasurys. Health care (XLV -1.1%), Consumer staples (XLP -1.1%). Utilities (XLU +0.1%) however, get a respite from an ugly month. 6 Comments
Thursday, May 30, 4:58 PM The utilities sector (XLU +0.2%), up as much as 2% early after NV Energy (NVE +22.5%) agreed to be acquired by Berkshire Hathaway at a hefty premium, wound up surrendering the bulk of its gains. Utilities remain May's weakest performer, down 8.5%, as rising interest rates, optimism over economic growth and a downbeat reading on future electricity prices send yield-seekers rotating into cyclicals. Comment! [Energy]
Thursday, May 30, 3:22 PM The Utilities Select Sector ETF (XLU) - which outpaced the broader averages for much of the year - is on pace for its worst month since the dark days of February 2009, off 7.9% thus far. The steady dividend payers have been sought-after commodities for some time, but a 50 bp rise to 2.12% in May has the 10-year Treasury offering a bit of competition. 2 Comments [Energy]
Tuesday, May 28, 2:59 PM If long-term Treasury yields keep rising, dividend-seeking investors in utilities (XLU -1.4%) will wonder how the lights went out for the sector, 24/7's Jon Ogg writes. The risk isn't only that investors may go elsewhere for yield; utilities have high operating costs and they borrow heavily to pay for infrastructure investments. Today's analyst downgrades only magnify what investors have to fear. 5 Comments [Energy]
Tuesday, May 28, 11:45 AM As stocks move broadly higher, utilities (XLU) lag following downgrades of Exelon (EXC -7.1%) and First Energy (FE -6.7%) by Deutsche Bank based on "the ugly reality of the 2016-17 RPM auction results." The firm sees downside in all integrated power names as the "uncertain path to a power market recovery forces investors to reconsider the multiples paid for commodity cyclical power generation assets." (earlier) 4 Comments [Energy, On the Move]
Friday, May 24, 2:25 PM There's some green on the screen about 90 minutes before the bell with the Dow (DIA, DOG) nosing into positive territory and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq now lower by only a hair. Today's weakest sector is the utilities (XLU -1.1%), continuing a bad month that's seen the once-leading group underperform the S&P by nearly 1000 basis points. YTD, the S&P's now ahead of utilities by about 500 bps. 2 Comments
Thursday, May 23, 12:50 PM The defensive utility sector (XLU -1%) isn’t looking very safe at the moment, as the break below the 50-day moving average suggests further weakness in the days ahead. Technician Ralph Acampora sees the break as a short-term sell for the Dow Jones Utility index but also a longer-term positive for the broader market as investors rotate out of defensive sectors and into more economically sensitive stocks. 1 Comment [Energy, Quick Ideas]
Monday, May 13, 2:13 PM Defensive stocks such as utilities (XLU -0.4%), which have led this year’s market surge, are fading, and investors should consider cyclical sectors such as tech and energy for long-term value, BlackRock's Russ Koesterich recommends. The utilities sector is overpriced and probably has more room to fall, but investors starved for yields should look at dividend-paying companies from outside the U.S. Comment! [Energy, Tech]
Thursday, May 9, 12:12 PM Stocks recover from early losses, returning to about unchanged in the noon hour. Notably lower today is the utility sector (XLU -1.2%) which is used to outperforming, but not this month. Ahead of the S&P 500 by about 700 basis points at the start of May, the XLU is now even with the broader market for the year. 3 Comments
Monday, May 6, 7:27 AM The S&P 500 (SPY) is fairly valued, says Goldman, but opportunity lies in cyclicals (XLY, XLE, XLI, XLB) which are more undervalued vs. defensives (XLU, XLP, XLV, XTL) than at any time in the last 15 years. "Given the 4 P/E multiple point head start, even a slight valuation normalization should translate into outperformance of cyclicals over defensives during the next 12 months." 1 Comment
Monday, April 29, 12:13 PM "Which has a higher P/E - Procter & Gamble (PG) or Google (GOOG)," asks the WSJ's Tom Lauricella. Enthusiasm for anything with yield has driven the P-E ratios of dividend payers (DVY) like P&G maybe way too high. Techs (XLK) with double-digit earnings growth, no debt, and massive cash balances trade at 12x, says MFS' James Swanson, while a utility (XLU) in Ohio is at 16x. "How far do you go with this game?" "Pretty far," says Templeton's Donald Taylor. "The macro environment (causing this) is not at all likely to change anytime soon." 7 Comments [Quick Ideas]
Thursday, April 4, 6:30 PM The big year for utility funds is pretty much over, ISI predicts, expecting regulated utilities to post a flat total return for the balance of 2013. Even though the Utilities ETF (XLU) has another 13% to go before matching its 2007 high, ISI views the group’s valuation at nearly 16x next year’s earnings, its exposure to a change in interest rates and its big outperformance YTD as key reasons to stay away. 3 Comments [Energy, Quick Ideas]
Thursday, January 3, 8:12 AM Americans are using more electronic gadgets, but electricity use is barely growing, posing a challenge for utility companies. PEG, NU and others are pouring money into high-voltage transmission lines, while others are slashing spending. EXC is cutting investment in nuclear plant expansions by $1B and in renewable energy projects by $1.3B as it tries to avoid a credit downgrade. 9 Comments [Energy]
Monday, December 31, 2012, 7:30 AM It paid to heed the many mid-year warnings of bubbly utility sector valuations. After a 9.5% decline since the beginning of August, the XLU will finish the year down more than 4%, totally offsetting its yield. The sector's overvaluation left it exposed to any sort of bad news, and it got it with Sandy and the post-election realization of maybe higher dividend tax rates. 3 Comments [Energy]
Tuesday, November 27, 2012, 2:10 PM Utilities (XLU +0.5%) could be poised for a rebound after a rough month. Yesterday, utility stocks jumped on the strength of electricity providers after Deutsche Bank upgraded Exelon (EXC +2%). Today, the sector again moves higher after ISI Group upgrades EXC to Buy from Neutral. Also: UNS +1.7%, NVE +1.6%, PPL +1.2%. 6 Comments [Energy, Quick Ideas, On the Move]
Monday, November 26, 2012, 12:42 PM The only S&P sector in the green today is the recently-battered utilities (XLU +1.2%). Through Friday, the stocks were the market's worst performers in November, falling 7% amidst worries of a hike in the dividend tax rate (Sandy didn't help either); never mind the fact so much of the holdings are in tax-advantaged accounts. 1 Comment [Energy]

SDP ProShares UltraShort Utilities ETF

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ProShares UltraShort Utilities ETF