NEW YORK (AP) – While the Standard & Poor’s index is finishing 2015 around where it started, the index has been sharply divided between winners and losers. Four of the index’s 10 sectors rose, while energy and five others lost ground.
CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY: Up 9.1 percent. These stocks had by far the best year on the market. The sector was driven higher by big gains from Netflix and Amazon, the only S&P 500 stocks that doubled in value this year. Starbucks, Cablevision and Expedia and did well. The S&P’s consumer discretionary index has risen for seven years in a row.
HEALTH CARE: Up 5.8 percent. Health care stocks rose thanks to gains in drug companies, such as the eye drug maker Regeneron, and wheeling and dealing from Allergan. A wave of consolidation lifted health insurers.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Up 5 percent. Video game makers Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts surged, while Google parent Alphabet and chip designer Nvidia also made significant gains. Facebook hit an all-time high and Microsoft reached its highest price since the tech boom as it transitioned to new leadership.
CONSUMER STAPLES: Up 4.1 percent. Even though shares of Wal-Mart had their worst year in four decades, consumer staple stocks edged higher on gains from Spam maker Hormel, Monster Beverage and Corona distributor Constellation Brands. The $54 billion combination of Kraft and Heinz and helped the sector.