The utilities sector is made up of companies that provide electricity, natural gas, water, sewage, and other services to homes and businesses. Utilities stocks, as represented by the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU), have significantly underperformed the broader market over the past year. XLU has provided a total return of 14.7% over the past 12 months, less than one third of the Russell 1000’s total return of 52.2%, as of April 16.
