Closelook rankings · Sector Flow
The strongest sectors, ranked
Every sector (via its ETF) we cover, ranked by tonight's Directional Flow trend score — the steadiest, strongest price trends first.
Every night, our Directional Flow engine gives each sector (via its ETF) a trend score. The higher the score, the steadier and stronger the price trend. This page ranks every sector (via its ETF) we cover, strongest first — so the weak end of the table is always visible too.
Scan of 2026-08-17 · 21 sectors covered · Directional Flow is Closelook's own trend engine — what the score measures · the stock ranking runs on the same nightly scan.
How the top scores got here
The Directional Flow score of today's top 4, over the last 90 trading days. Same math as the DF oscillator on every chart.
| # | Sector | Score | Score path | Score | 5d | 21d | 63d | Trend right now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Global Technology IXN | 49 | 49 | +0.9 | +1.3 | +23.0 | flat | |
| 2 | Technology XLK | 44 | 44 | +1.2 | +2.5 | +25.1 | getting stronger | |
| 3 | Global Energy IXC | 35 | 35 | -0.7 | -4.6 | -19.0 | rising, but slowing | |
| 4 | Industrials XLI | 24 | 24 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +1.6 | flat | |
| 5 | Global Materials MXI | 20 | 20 | -0.7 | -5.8 | -16.8 | rising, but slowing | |
| 6 | Energy XLE | 19 | 19 | +2.3 | +3.6 | -41.9 | getting stronger | |
| 7 | Global Industrials EXI | 19 | 19 | +0.3 | -0.7 | -3.6 | flat | |
| 8 | Global Financials IXG | 17 | 17 | +1.3 | +5.3 | +8.5 | getting stronger | |
| 9 | Real Estate XLRE | 16 | 16 | -0.0 | +1.4 | +6.2 | flat | |
| 10 | Healthcare XLV | 11 | 11 | +1.1 | +2.9 | +0.4 | getting stronger | |
| 11 | Consumer Staples XLP | 11 | 11 | -0.2 | -0.4 | -1.2 | flat | |
| 12 | Financials XLF | 9 | 9 | +1.8 | +7.4 | +13.7 | getting stronger | |
| 13 | Global Utilities JXI | 9 | 9 | -1.4 | -4.9 | -14.4 | rising, but slowing | |
| 14 | Materials XLB | 8 | 8 | +0.8 | +0.5 | -9.6 | flat | |
| 15 | Global Staples KXI | 7 | 7 | -0.3 | -0.9 | -4.0 | flat | |
| 16 | Global Healthcare IXJ | 6 | 6 | +0.7 | +1.7 | -3.4 | flat | |
| 17 | Consumer Discretionary XLY | -0 | -0 | +1.0 | -0.3 | +7.5 | flat | |
| 18 | Utilities XLU | -1 | -1 | -1.2 | -3.8 | -19.7 | getting weaker | |
| 19 | Global Comm Svcs IXP | -4 | -4 | -0.4 | -3.2 | -11.1 | getting weaker | |
| 20 | Global Discretionary RXI | -6 | -6 | +0.8 | +1.2 | -3.4 | flat | |
| 21 | Communication Services XLC | -7 | -7 | -0.2 | -3.2 | -12.4 | getting weaker |
Score = trend quality; higher is steadier and stronger. The 5d / 21d / 63d columns show how much the score changed over about one week, one month and one quarter. The full list is shown — both the strong and the weak end.
Go deeper
- Click any row for its full page — chart, performance and signals in one place.
- The Directional Flow stock ranking runs the same engine over single stocks — the strongest individual trends in our coverage.
- The daily archive keeps every night's full sector flow ranking — how it looked on any past day.
- The Directional Flow signals page reads the same daily scan the other way round — heat columns, early warnings and what the whole tape is doing.
- Factor Regime shows whether the market is currently rewarding strong trends at all.
FAQ
What is the Directional Flow score?
A number we compute every night. It measures how steady and reliable a price trend is — most scores sit below 100, and only exceptional trends go far above it. A high score means prices have been moving in one clear direction, in an orderly way. It grades the quality of a move, not just its size.
How can a sector have a trend score?
We measure the score on the US-listed ETF that tracks it. That means the score reflects what a US-dollar investor actually experiences — for foreign markets, that includes the currency move as well as the local market.
How often is this ranking updated?
Our engine runs after every US market close. This page is rebuilt every morning with the fresh ranking, and it always shows the date of the scan it was built from.
Is this investment advice?
No. Closelook publishes an investment research diary, not investment advice. The ranking describes what our engine measures in past prices. Past performance may not be an indication of future performance.
Closelook publishes an investment research diary, not investment advice. Past performance may not be an indication of future performance.