Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights: XLE, XLK, and XLY

Read MoreHide Full Article

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – August 5, 2022 – Today, Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights (XLE - Free Report) , (XLK - Free Report) and (XLY - Free Report)

Why Tech is Dominating This Rally Off the June Low

After a brutal start to the year that saw the Nasdaq drop over 30% from its November peak, the tech-heavy index has come roaring back to life, rallying nearly 20% from the June low. It remains to be seen if that low will mark an official bottom, and whether this is simply a bear market rally or the start of a new bull market. But one thing’s for sure – technology and growth have led the way higher over the past month and a half. Let’s explore a few reasons why this was the case, and why tech will likely continue its outperformance for as long as the rally persists.

This bullish rally has been fueled by countertrend bounces coming from beaten down, oversold stocks. From the beginning of the year through the bottom made on June 16th, the energy sector (depicted by the ETF) (XLE) soared higher while growth areas like technology (XLK) and consumer discretionary (XLY) led the downside:

And since mid-June, it’s been quite the opposite, with energy (XLE) lagging and consumer discretionary (XLY) and technology (XLK) leading the upside:

In addition, the Nasdaq P/E ratio hovered around 20 in May and June of this year, a level not seen since the coronavirus-induced plunged in early 2020. Growth and technology became very oversold, and a correction off that condition ensued.

Earnings during the second quarter have not been as bad as expected. Eighty percent of information technology companies have beaten earnings estimates, while revenues have grown nearly 8% year-over-year. The fact that many of the big tech companies have held their own in this uncertain, volatile time is a testament to their strength and resilience.

Lastly, inflation expectations have come down over the past few months. Some inflation is ok, but when high inflation becomes less of a concern, tech stocks tend to rally. This is evident in numerous areas, including energy prices and bond yields. XLE is now in its own bear market, off more than 20% from its peak.

Bond yields have also come down substantially off the June highs, as evidenced by the yield on the 10-year note.

Technology tends to outperform during bullish cycles, and underperform during bear markets. And that’s exactly what we’ve witnessed throughout the back-and-forth, volatile moves this year.

Why Haven’t You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?

Our 5 best-performing strategies have blown away the S&P's impressive +28.8% gain in 2021. Amazingly, they soared +40.3%, +48.2%, +67.6%, +94.4%, and +95.3%. Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.

See Stocks Free >>

Media Contact

Zacks Investment Research

800-767-3771 ext. 9339

support@zacks.com

https://www.zacks.com

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

Published in