The chart below breaks down the annual performance of the S&P 500 sectors. Not only do you get an idea of how a small group of stocks affects the S&P each year, you see how each sector performs through economic and stock market cycles.

While sectors can bounce around from year to year, top to bottom and back again, over the long-term, those big swings even out. The chart shows annual returns for the ten stock market sectors against the S&P 500.

The table below ranks the best to worst sector returns over the past 12 years. Hover over the table to highlight each sector performance over that period.

Source: novelinvestor.com