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Pattern Lab · Methodology + live rankings

Sector Relative Strength.

Rotational rankings of the eleven SPDR sector ETFs against the S&P 500 (SPY). Each sector gets four readings: an RS-ratio (sector / benchmark, normalised to 100 a year ago), 21-day · 63-day · 252-day outperformance in percentage points vs SPY, and a Z-score of the current RS-ratio against its trailing 63-day mean — a mean-reversion signal. Sectors are sorted by 63-day outperformance descending and assigned a JdK-style RRG quadrant.

2026-10-08as of
SPYbenchmark
11sectors
1leading
8lagging

Sector charts

Compare any of the 12 SPDR ETFs + SPY side-by-side. Per-cell ticker, range, and oscillator toggles. Reuses the same indicator set as the Rubin charts terminal — including Directional Flow (DF) and DF % (the 0-100 tanh-normalised view).

Grid:

The rule

For each sector ETF: compute the relative-strength ratio against SPY, normalise it to 100 at the start of a 252-day window, and track its level and trajectory. Sectors above 100 with positive short-term outperformance are leading; sectors below 100 with negative outperformance are lagging. The remaining two quadrants — weakening and improving — are the rotation candidates.

The Z-score against the trailing 63-day mean is the mean-reversion overlay: a sector with Z > +2 is statistically stretched relative to its own recent history; a sector with Z < −2 is unusually compressed. Both edges are candidates for reversal, regardless of which quadrant they currently occupy.

Data is refreshed daily from EODHD (close prices). Re-run workers/jensen-backtest/scripts/fetch-sector-rs-prices.mjs and rebuild.

Rankings · three timeframes, separately sorted

Same eleven sectors, three independent sort lenses. A name that leads on 21d but lags on 252d is a fresh rotation candidate; one that leads on 252d but lags on 21d is a tired leader. The full picture only emerges when all three horizons are read together.

Short term · 21 trading days (~1 month)

Rank Ticker Sector Price RS 21d 63d 1y Z Quadrant Chart
1 XLK Technology $197.78 119.0 +3.6% +3.8% +22.3% +1.52 Leading chart →
2 XLC Communication Services $112.07 83.6 -0.3% -2.1% -19.1% -0.59 Lagging chart →
3 XLV Health Care $168.16 101.4 -0.4% +2.2% +1.6% -0.42 Weakening chart →
4 XLP Consumer Staples $83.42 93.8 -0.7% -2.9% -7.3% -0.81 Lagging chart →
5 XLE Energy $65.24 128.3 -1.3% +16.4% +33.0% +1.20 Weakening chart →
6 XLY Consumer Discretionary $111.71 81.7 -2.2% -7.3% -21.3% -1.29 Lagging chart →
7 XLI Industrials $168.40 94.4 -3.5% -10.0% -6.5% -1.56 Lagging chart →
8 XLU Utilities $41.07 80.1 -5.4% -11.7% -23.2% -1.01 Lagging chart →
9 XLB Materials $49.27 96.0 -5.4% -5.5% -4.7% -1.82 Lagging chart →
10 XLF Financials $54.23 87.6 -6.4% -5.1% -14.5% -1.86 Lagging chart →
11 XLRE Real Estate $40.85 87.1 -6.9% -10.1% -15.1% -1.81 Lagging chart →

Medium term · 63 trading days (~3 months)

Rank Ticker Sector Price RS 21d 63d 1y Z Quadrant Chart
1 XLE Energy $65.24 128.3 -1.3% +16.4% +33.0% +1.20 Weakening chart →
2 XLK Technology $197.78 119.0 +3.6% +3.8% +22.3% +1.52 Leading chart →
3 XLV Health Care $168.16 101.4 -0.4% +2.2% +1.6% -0.42 Weakening chart →
4 XLC Communication Services $112.07 83.6 -0.3% -2.1% -19.1% -0.59 Lagging chart →
5 XLP Consumer Staples $83.42 93.8 -0.7% -2.9% -7.3% -0.81 Lagging chart →
6 XLF Financials $54.23 87.6 -6.4% -5.1% -14.5% -1.86 Lagging chart →
7 XLB Materials $49.27 96.0 -5.4% -5.5% -4.7% -1.82 Lagging chart →
8 XLY Consumer Discretionary $111.71 81.7 -2.2% -7.3% -21.3% -1.29 Lagging chart →
9 XLI Industrials $168.40 94.4 -3.5% -10.0% -6.5% -1.56 Lagging chart →
10 XLRE Real Estate $40.85 87.1 -6.9% -10.1% -15.1% -1.81 Lagging chart →
11 XLU Utilities $41.07 80.1 -5.4% -11.7% -23.2% -1.01 Lagging chart →

Long term · 252 trading days (~1 year)

Rank Ticker Sector Price RS 21d 63d 1y Z Quadrant Chart
1 XLE Energy $65.24 128.3 -1.3% +16.4% +33.0% +1.20 Weakening chart →
2 XLK Technology $197.78 119.0 +3.6% +3.8% +22.3% +1.52 Leading chart →
3 XLV Health Care $168.16 101.4 -0.4% +2.2% +1.6% -0.42 Weakening chart →
4 XLB Materials $49.27 96.0 -5.4% -5.5% -4.7% -1.82 Lagging chart →
5 XLI Industrials $168.40 94.4 -3.5% -10.0% -6.5% -1.56 Lagging chart →
6 XLP Consumer Staples $83.42 93.8 -0.7% -2.9% -7.3% -0.81 Lagging chart →
7 XLF Financials $54.23 87.6 -6.4% -5.1% -14.5% -1.86 Lagging chart →
8 XLRE Real Estate $40.85 87.1 -6.9% -10.1% -15.1% -1.81 Lagging chart →
9 XLC Communication Services $112.07 83.6 -0.3% -2.1% -19.1% -0.59 Lagging chart →
10 XLY Consumer Discretionary $111.71 81.7 -2.2% -7.3% -21.3% -1.29 Lagging chart →
11 XLU Utilities $41.07 80.1 -5.4% -11.7% -23.2% -1.01 Lagging chart →

Bold-highlighted column = the timeframe each table is sorted by. The chart → link opens the per-ticker chart at /indices/stock/?t=… with OHLC + SMA + RSI. v2 follow-up: extend the Rubin-style charts terminal (full oscillator set + Directional Flow) to SPDR ETFs.


By quadrant

JdK-style RRG mapping. RS-ratio on the vertical axis (above / below 100), 21-day outperformance on the horizontal axis (positive / negative). The four quadrants encode where each sector sits in its rotational cycle.

Leading 1

RS > 100 and 21d outperformance positive — strongest cohort

  • XLK Technology +3.8%
Improving 0

RS < 100 but 21d outperformance positive — momentum rebuilding

  • — none
Weakening 2

RS > 100 but 21d outperformance turning negative — rotation candidate

  • XLE Energy +16.4%
  • XLV Health Care +2.2%
Lagging 8

RS < 100 and 21d outperformance negative — broadly out of favor

  • XLC Communication Services -2.1%
  • XLP Consumer Staples -2.9%
  • XLF Financials -5.1%
  • XLB Materials -5.5%
  • XLY Consumer Discretionary -7.3%
  • XLI Industrials -10.0%
  • XLRE Real Estate -10.1%
  • XLU Utilities -11.7%

Sector RS is a structural overlay. It says where dispersion sits across the SPDR cohort and which sectors are entering or leaving the leading-quadrant cluster. It does not say what to do about it; that's a function of the user's framework (regime, time horizon, mean-reversion vs. momentum bias).

FAQ · from the current data · as of 2026-10-08

Quick answers

Which SPDR sector is leading on relative strength right now?

As of 2026-10-08, XLE (Energy) ranks #1 of 11 SPDR sectors by 63-day outperformance vs SPY, at +16.4%.

Which SPDR sector is lagging the most?

As of 2026-10-08, XLU (Utilities) ranks last (#11 of 11) by 63-day outperformance vs SPY, at -11.7%.

How many sectors are in the Leading quadrant?

As of 2026-10-08, 1 of 11 SPDR sectors sit in the Leading quadrant (RS-ratio above 100 with positive 21-day outperformance vs SPY); 8 sit in Lagging.

What does the Z-score column mean?

It is the current RS-ratio expressed as standard deviations from its own trailing 63-day mean — a mean-reversion overlay independent of the quadrant. A reading beyond +/-2 marks the sector as statistically stretched or compressed relative to its recent history.