Markets
The Best and Worst Performing Sectors in 2017
The Best and Worst Performing Sectors in 2017
Regardless of what you think of it, the second-longest U.S. bull market in modern history continues to rage on.
Even this year, which is the eighth anniversary of the lows of the Financial Crisis, has the S&P 500 charging forward with a 9.5% performance year-to-date. That said, it’s important to keep in mind that individual sectors that make up the market are not created equally – and while some have been crushing it, others have been taking a beating.
Today’s visualization, including a screenshot pulled from FinViz.com, shows a map of stocks in the U.S. market. Divided into different subsectors and colored by performance YTD, it helps give an idea of what has outperformed the market, and which stocks have been left in the dust.
The Winners So Far
1. Internet and Software
Companies like Facebook and Alphabet continue to dominate online advertising, while Microsoft, Baidu, and JD.com also are outperforming. SaaS-focused companies like Salesforce, Oracle, Workday, and Adobe also are beating the market as a whole in 2017 so far.
2. Resorts and Lodging
Hotels, cruise lines, and casinos are performing impressively in 2017 so far, even with companies like Airbnb competing on the accommodation front. Wynn Resorts, for example, is up over 40% on the year so far.
3. Aerospace and Defense
With Trump in the White House and both houses of Congress being controlled by Republicans, it’s no surprise to see big aerospace companies like Boeing up over 50% YTD.
4. Healthcare
As the population continues to age, medical appliance and biotech subsectors have taken off in 2017.
The Losers So Far
1. Real Estate (Retail)
The “Retailpocalypse” has not been kind to REITs focused on commercial spaces.
2. Auto Parts
With EVs and autonomous vehicles approaching on the horizon, less auto parts will be needed per capita.
3. Apparel Stores
Changing consumer tastes and the transition to online/mobile shopping is making life tough for some companies, like Urban Outfitters, which is down more than -30% on the year.
4. Independent Oil & Gas
The recovery in oil prices that happened in 2016 has not continued into 2017, and this has hurt independent oil and gas producers that have higher average costs.
Markets
Graphene: An Investor’s Guide to the Emerging Market
The market value of graphene could reach $3.75 billion by 2030. As the emerging industry shows fast growth, it also faces obstacles.
Graphene: An Investor’s Guide to the Emerging Market
Graphene is an atomic-scale “honeycomb” that is revolutionizing the world of materials and capturing investor attention.
Experts predict that its market value could reach the billion-dollar threshold by 2027 and soar to a staggering $3.75 billion by 2030.
In this infographic sponsored by HydroGraph, we dive into everything investors need to know about this exciting industry and where it’s headed.
Promising Properties
Graphene possesses several unique physical properties which contribute to its wide range of potential applications.
- 200 times stronger than steel
- Harder than diamonds
- 1,000 times lighter than paper
- 98% transparent
- Higher electrical conductivity than copper
- Heat conductivity: 5 times that of copper
- 2,630 m² of surface area per gram
Since its first successful isolation in 2004, graphene’s properties have opened the doors to a multitude of commercial applications and products.
Applications of Graphene
Graphene has permeated numerous sectors like electronics, energy, and healthcare because of its impressive array of end uses.
| Industry | Revenue CAGR of Graphene Across Industries, 2022-2027 |
|---|---|
| Biomedical and Healthcare | 52% |
| Electronics and Telecommunications | 34% |
| Energy | 25% |
| Aerospace and Defense | 16% |
| Other End-User Industries | 17% |
Graphene’s antibacterial properties make it highly suitable for medical instruments and implants. Furthermore, it has shown remarkable potential in helping treat diseases such as cancer.
Another one of the material’s applications is its ability to emit high-speed light pulses, or to combine graphene’s thinness and high-conductivity to create the tiniest possible light sources.
All in all, it’s difficult to sum up graphene’s properties and potential applications in one place. The supermaterial has been covered and cited in thousands of academic journals, and comes up with over 2 million search results on Google Scholar.
Graphene Commercialization
Graphene has evolved from a scientific breakthrough to a commercial reality in less than two decades, putting it firmly on the radar of many future-focused investors.
But despite the strides the industry is making, it is still in its infancy, and therefore challenges exist on the path to widespread adoption. Here are the top five commercialization obstacles perceived by industry players.
| Obstacle | % of survey respondents |
|---|---|
| Cost | 31% |
| Production Methods, Scaling, and Distribution | 21% |
| Material Quality/Consistency | 17% |
| Lack of Knowledge/Awareness | 15% |
| Dispersion/Handling | 14% |
When transitioning cutting-edge materials from the laboratory to consumer products, challenges like these can be expected. But one company is tackling them head-on.
By producing 99.8% pure graphene, and ensuring batch-to-batch consistency, HydroGraph is helping meet the growing demand for graphene products across industries while addressing challenges like cost, scale, and quality.
Interested in learning more? Explore investment opportunities with HydroGraph now.
-
United States3 weeks agoCharting the Rise of America’s Debt Ceiling
By June 1, a debt ceiling agreement must be finalized. The U.S. could default if politicians fail to act—causing many stark consequences.
-
Money3 weeks agoRanked: The World’s Top 50 Endowment Funds
Endowment funds represent the investment arms of nonprofits. See the worlds top 50, which collectively have over $1 trillion in assets.
-
Demographics3 weeks agoVisualizing the American Workforce as 100 People
Reimagining all 200 million of the American workforce as 100 people: where do they all work, what positions they hold, and what jobs they do?
-
Money1 month agoVisualized: Real Interest Rates by Country
What countries have the highest real interest rates? We look at 40 economies to analyze nominal and real rates after projected inflation.
-
Banks2 months agoRanked: The Largest Bond Markets in the World
The global bond market stands at $133 trillion in value. Here are the major players in bond markets worldwide.
-
Markets2 months agoVisualized: The Largest Trading Partners of the U.S.
Who are the biggest trading partners of the U.S.? This visual showcases the trade balances between the U.S. and its trading partners.
-
Money3 weeks ago
Ranked: The World’s Top 50 Endowment Funds
-
United States3 weeks ago
Charting the Rise of America’s Debt Ceiling
-
Central Banks4 weeks agoComparing the Speed of Interest Rate Hikes (1988-2023)
-
China2 weeks agoRanked: The Cities with the Most Skyscrapers in 2023
-
War4 weeks agoMap Explainer: Sudan
-
Mining2 weeks agoRanked: The World’s Biggest Steel Producers, by Country
-
Travel4 weeks agoVisualized: The World’s Busiest Airports, by Passenger Count
-
Visual Capitalist2 weeks agoJoin Us For Data Creator Con 2023