S&P 500 Winners and Losers, Sector Performance, and Unemployment

September 15, 2025 | 2 min read

Inching Up – The August 2025 unemployment rate rose by 0.1% to 4.3%. The healthcare sector gained jobs, while the federal government and the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sectors showed job losses (source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Sector Performance – The healthcare sector reported the largest gain in August 2025 at 5.37%. The materials sector was close behind at 5.19%. The technology and utilities sectors were the only two sectors with losses at -0.11% and -1.58%, respectively (source: Y Charts).
Promising Productivity – Nonfarm labor productivity increased by 3.3% in Q2 2025. Output increased by 4.4%, while hours worked increased by 1.1%. In Q2 2024, nonfarm labor productivity increased by 2.5% (source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
S&P 500 Spotlight – Albemarle Corp, a chemicals company in the materials sector, reported the largest S&P 500 August 2025 share price return at 25.2%. UnitedHealth Group was close behind with an August 2025 share price return of 24.2%. However, both companies are still reporting negative year-to-date returns through August 2025 at -1.3% and -38.7%, respectively (source: Y Charts).
S&P 500 Stragglers – The Trade Desk Inc, a media company, was the S&P 500’s biggest loser with a -37.1% August 2025 return. Super Micro Computer, a technology hardware company, came in second with a -29.6% share price return in August 2025 (source: Y Charts).
Acquiring Assets – PNC Financial announced the acquisition of FirstBank Holding in a $4.1 billion cash-and-stock deal. FirstBank will bring PNC Financials total assets to nearly $600 billion (source: Reuters).
High Housing – U.S. housing prices rose 2.9% between Q2 2024 and Q2 2025. The five states with the highest annual appreciation were New York at 8.0%, Connecticut at 7.8%, New Jersey at 7.5%, Mississippi at 7.3%, and Illinois at 6.7% (source: U.S. Federal Housing Agency).
Star-Studded Deal – SpaceX announced plans to buy wireless spectrum licenses from EchoStar for its Starlink satellite network for $17 billion. The deal will also give EchoStar’s Boost Mobile subscribers access to Starlink satellite services (source: Reuters).
Hi and Bye – Jalen Carter from the Philadelphia Eagles was ejected from the first game of the season on September 4, 2025, a mere six seconds after kickoff, making it the fastest ejection since Jeremiah Trotter on September 12, 2005 (source: CBS Sports).
Comeback Kids – The Buffalo Bills became the first NFL team to overcome a 15+ point deficit in the final four minutes and win in regulation. This is also the first time that the Buffalo Bills have won a game after trailing by 15+ points in the final quarter since 1967 (source: NBC News).

This newsletter is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation regarding any specific product or security. Past performance is not indicative of future results. You cannot invest directly in an index. All references to tax or legal matters are provided for informational purposes only. You should consult your legal or tax professional regarding your specific situation. All investing is subject to risk, including possible loss of principal.

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