Utilities ETFs outperform as investors make defensive bets

Exchange-traded funds exposed to utilities outperformed on Friday as investors fled stocks and other risky assets. The Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund /zigman2/quotes/206645117/composite XLU -0.90% was up 0.5%, one of the only ETFs tracking the 11 sectors of the S&P 500 to be above water. Invesco's S&P 500 Equal Weight Utilities ETF /zigman2/quotes/207949875/composite RYU -1.47% jumped 0.6%, and both the Vanguard Utilities ETF /zigman2/quotes/201635887/composite VPU -1.09% and the iShares U.S. Utilities ETF /zigman2/quotes/205743777/composite IDU -0.99% gained 0.5%. Stocks /zigman2/quotes/210599714/realtime SPX -2.45% lost ground Friday after some analysts pointed out that an ambitious fiscal relief plan from President-Elect Joe Biden was likely to face an uphill battle in Congress, even as economic data continued to disappoint.

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Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF

US : U.S.: NYSE Arca

$ 59.46

-0.54 -0.90%

Volume: 15.68M

Feb. 25, 2021 8:00p

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Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Utilities ETF

US : U.S.: NYSE Arca

$ 95.26

-1.42 -1.47%

Volume: 12,664

Feb. 25, 2021 8:00p

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Vanguard Utilities ETF

US : U.S.: NYSE Arca

$ 131.01

-1.45 -1.09%

Volume: 249,581

Feb. 25, 2021 8:00p

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iShares U.S. Utilities ETF

US : U.S.: NYSE Arca

$ 74.01

-0.74 -0.99%

Volume: 56,659

Feb. 25, 2021 8:00p

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S&P 500 Index

US : S&P US

3,829.34

-96.09 -2.45%

Volume: 2.92B

Feb. 25, 2021 5:19p