Sectors: Who Is Buying What
Stocks grouped into eleven sectors by their SEC industry code. The heatmap shows the average price change of the stocks we cover in each sector; the table shows what insiders and Congress did there over the past 12 months.
Sector heatmap
RoseFellNo price at prices of Oct 2 How we calculate this
Average price change of the stocks on this site in each sector, at weekly prices. It is a simple average, not weighted by company size, so it can differ from sector index funds.
Live from TradingView: every S&P 500 company, sized by market value and colored by today's change. The heatmap above uses only the stocks on this site and weekly prices.
| Sector | Stocks | 3 months | Insider buys | Insider sales | Congress trades |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financials | 515 | −0.2% | 1732 | 4041 | 477 |
| Health Care | 505 | −3.4% | 1303 | 5238 | 365 |
| Technology | 460 | −3.0% | 898 | 7792 | 1046 |
| Industrials | 421 | −6.4% | 976 | 3285 | 575 |
| Consumer Discretionary | 334 | −11.0% | 798 | 3302 | 512 |
| Materials | 201 | −3.0% | 540 | 1119 | 155 |
| Real Estate | 127 | −11.7% | 412 | 504 | 85 |
| Energy | 72 | +14.4% | 209 | 516 | 91 |
| Utilities | 72 | −8.7% | 217 | 521 | 72 |
| Communication Services | 60 | −6.5% | 133 | 550 | 93 |
| Consumer Staples | 57 | −14.5% | 154 | 451 | 128 |
Insider trades: open-market purchases and sales on Form 4, filed in the past 12 months. Congress trades: STOCK Act reports filed in the past 12 months. Sectors follow each company's SIC code on EDGAR.
Examples
- Over the past three months the strongest sector on this site was Energy, with an average change of +14.4%; the weakest was Consumer Staples at −14.5%.
- In 2022, when oil prices jumped, energy stocks rose while most technology stocks fell. Sectors often move in different directions at the same time.
- A cluster of insider purchases across one sector, such as bank executives buying their own shares during the March 2023 bank scare, can say more than a single trade.
All sectors
- Financials Banks, insurers, asset managers, exchanges and other companies that handle money.
- Health Care Drug makers, biotech labs, medical device makers, hospitals and health insurers.
- Technology Companies that make software, chips, computers and the gear that runs the internet.
- Industrials Planes, trains, trucks, machines, builders and the companies that move and make things.
- Consumer Discretionary Things people buy when they have spare money: cars, clothes, restaurants, hotels and online shops.
- Materials Chemicals, metals, mining, paper and packaging.
- Real Estate Property owners and REITs: offices, flats, warehouses, malls and data centers.
- Energy Oil and gas producers, refiners, pipelines and drilling services.
- Utilities Electricity, gas and water companies, most of them regulated.
- Communication Services Phone and cable companies, media, video games and social networks.
- Consumer Staples Things people buy in good times and bad: food, drinks, household goods and supermarkets.
About this page
WallStPal explains public SEC filings and congressional stock trade reports in plain English. Nothing is for sale; the site is free and supported by ads.
How to read it
- Form 4
- The form a company insider (officer, director or owner of more than 10%) must file with the SEC within two business days of buying or selling the company's shares.
- 13F
- A quarterly list of U.S. stocks held by an investment manager with more than $100 million, filed within 45 days after each quarter ends.
- STOCK Act
- A 2012 law that requires members of Congress to report stock trades by themselves, a spouse or a dependent child within 45 days.
A real example
In January 2016, when bank stocks were falling, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon bought 500,000 JPMorgan shares with his own money, worth about $26 million. His Form 4 made the purchase public within days, and investors read it as a strong sign of confidence.
Explain it like I'm 13
We read the long, boring forms that grown-ups file with the government and tell you what they say in normal words.
Data from public SEC filings and congressional reports. Information, not investment advice. Check every number against the filing linked on the page.