Since the low in March, the overall market has gone through two pretty distinct rallies with brief interruptions in June and now again at the beginning of September. Using the S&P 500 as a barometer for the overall market, we see that the index was up 44.5% from March 23 through June 8. From June 8 through June 26, the index fell 7%. It’s hard to call a 7% decline a pullback, but the period on the chart looks more like a short-term disruption.
The second rally took place from June 26 through September 2 and it saw the index strong performance. From September 2 through September 10, the index fell 6.75%. It isn’t clear just yet whether the current disruption in the rally is over yet or if it is the start of something bigger.
It’s unclear whether the current disruption will last longer or become something more. But I wanted to find out which sectors and industries have performed the best during the rallies and during the disruptions.
I started with the current disruption and went to Tickeron’s Group Trends Screener to find out which groups have been performing the best and the worst over the last week. On the positive side, four of the top five groups are in the healthcare sector. The Orphan group was the top performer and it refers to rare diseases, and companies in this category are biotech entities developing treatments for those diseases. The other healthcare oriented groups are Central Nervous System, Immunotherapy, and Novel Medical. All of the groups gained 4% or more as the overall market fell.
As for the downside, all 10 of the worst performing groups were associated with the oil and gas industries—the energy sector. Everything from shale, offshore drilling, oil field services were on the list of worst performers. The losses ranged from 8.36% to 11.75%.
After looking at the performances from the different groups over the past week, I went back to look at how the different sectors performed during the different phases. I broke them down in the table below with the performances in the first rally, the first consolidation, and then the second rally. The energy sector was far and away the top performer as it rebounded from the temporary negative oil prices and the sector almost doubled from March 23 through June 8.
I used the Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) to represent the overall sector. Since June 8, the energy sector has fallen 29.6% and that is by far the worst performance of the bunch. We see the sector also took the worst hit during the first consolidation.
The tech sector, as represented by the Technology Select Sector SPDR (XLK), held up the best during the first consolidation and it was the top performer during the second rally with a strong performance. So far, in the current pullback, the tech sector has been the worst performer and is down over 10%.
To summarize what has happened so far, the top performing sector in the first rally became the worst performer in the first disruption. The top performer during the first disruption continued on to be the top performing sector in the second rally. Now it has been the worst performer in the second disruption. This presents an interesting dilemma and it has me wondering what the results will be once this disruption is over.
So far during the current disruption, the two sectors that have held up the best are materials and utilities. Will one of those two sectors be the top performer when the next rally happens? It is worth keeping an eye on.
Harry Richardson — Algorithmic Trader & Strategy Developer Harry is an algorithmic trader specializing in impulse and breakout trading strategies across cryptocurrency and equity markets. With more than 10 years of experience in developing automated trading systems, he focuses on building structured algorithms designed to capture momentum while maintaining strict risk control. His approach combines quantitative analysis, real-market execution, and continuous performance monitoring. Vitalii prioritizes risk management, drawdown control, and strategy stability over short-term optimization, ensuring algorithms are adaptable to changing market conditions. He has developed and tested hundreds of automated strategies, working extensively with live trading environments, forward testing, and portfolio-level algorithm management. His work centers on transforming trading ideas into fully operational, scalable automated systems.
XLE moved below its 50-day moving average on November 04, 2026 date and that indicates a change from an upward trend to a downward trend. In 45 of 52 similar past instances, the stock price decreased further within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 87%.
The Momentum Indicator moved below the 0 level on November 02, 2026. You may want to consider selling the stock, shorting the stock, or exploring put options on XLE as a result. In 67 of 81 cases where the Momentum Indicator fell below 0, the stock fell further within the subsequent month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 83%.
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence Histogram (MACD) for XLE turned negative on November 02, 2026. This could be a sign that the stock is set to turn lower in the coming weeks. Traders may want to sell the stock or buy put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 53 similar instances when the indicator turned negative. In 44 of the 53 cases the stock turned lower in the days that followed. This puts the odds of success at 83%.
The 10-day moving average for XLE crossed bearishly below the 50-day moving average on November 11, 2026. This indicates that the trend has shifted lower and could be considered a sell signal. In 16 of 22 past instances when the 10-day crossed below the 50-day, the stock continued to move higher over the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 73%.
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where XLE declined for three days, the price rose further in 50 of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 80%.
The RSI Indicator points to a transition from a downward trend to an upward trend -- in cases where XLE's RSI Indicator exited the oversold zone, 17 of 17 resulted in an increase in price. Tickeron's analysis proposes that the odds of a continued upward trend are 90%.
The Stochastic Oscillator shows that the ticker has stayed in the oversold zone for 5 days. The price of this ticker is presumed to bounce back soon, since the longer the ticker stays in the oversold zone, the more promptly an upward trend is expected.
Following a +2.31% 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where XLE advanced for three days, in 356 of 387 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 90%.
XLE may jump back above the lower band and head toward the middle band. Traders may consider buying the stock or exploring call options.
The Aroon Indicator entered an Uptrend today. In 316 of 350 cases where XLE Aroon's Indicator entered an Uptrend, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued Uptrend are 90%.
The average fundamental analysis ratings, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, are as follows