US Stock Market Sector Analysis – Friday, February 21, 2025 BEARISH

The US stock market closed with a clear risk-off tone as the S&P 500 slid amid broad sector weakness today, led by a sharp rout in Airlines after Delta (DAL) fell 5.9% and United (UAL) declined 6.4%, amplifying losses across travel-related names. Mag 7 (AI Spenders) underperformed, down 2.6% for the day, and heavyweight NVIDIA (NVDA) dropped 4.1%, weighing on the market's tech leadership. Defensive Utilities outperformed, with Duke Energy (DUK) and NextEra Energy (NEE) each up 2.1%, while Infrastructure names such as Vertiv (VRT) plunged 8.4% and flagged sector-level stress. Today’s action left only 3 sectors higher and 21 lower, underscoring the breadth of the pullback across the S&P 500.

Market Condition Dashboard

US 10-Year Treasury Yield

Wait & Watch

4.42%

rising

Impact

Confidence

Crude Oil (WTI)

Neutral

$70.40

-3.0% 1D

Impact

Confidence

VIX (Fear Index)

Normal Range

18.2

+16.3% 1D

Impact

Confidence

Tracked Stocks Breadth (50DMA)

Healthy Uptrend

54%

37 of 68 above 50DMA · -7.4pp 5D

Impact

Confidence

Put/Call Ratio (5D)

Caution

0.75

Call-Heavy · stable

Impact

Confidence

Signal analysis only — not investment advice

Sector Performance (Base=100)

AI and Technology Sector Analysis

The AI/technology investment theme showed cracks as the Magnificent 7 leadership cooled: NVIDIA (NVDA) traded at $134.23 (-4.1%) and Microsoft (MSFT) was $404.23 (-1.9%), both sitting below their 50-day context and signaling profit-taking in AI-capex beneficiaries. Chip supply chain names and chip equipment showed divergent performance, with Chip Supply Chain down 3.6% for the day and Chip Equipment only -2.2%, reflecting an ongoing debate over demand sustainability versus manufacturing investment cycles. Enterprise Software weakness (sector -3.2%) and Data Center REITs sliding suggest near-term capacity and software spend uncertainty despite long-term AI secular tailwinds.

US Stock Sector Overview

Sector	1D	5D	20D	vs 50MA
Mag 7 (AI Spenders)	-2.6%	-3.3%	-4.6%	BELOW
Chip Supply Chain	-3.6%	-3.0%	-6.1%	BELOW
Infrastructure	-3.9%	+0.9%	+5.4%	ABOVE
Enterprise Software	-3.2%	-7.1%	+1.6%	BELOW
Finance	-1.8%	-4.9%	-1.0%	ABOVE
Healthcare	-3.6%	-3.7%	-0.5%	BELOW
Retail	-1.2%	-6.2%	+5.1%	BELOW
IT Services	-3.3%	-3.0%	+8.8%	BELOW
Airlines	-6.2%	-8.1%	-9.7%	BELOW
Hospitality & Travel	-2.0%	-1.6%	+1.2%	BELOW
Food & Restaurant	-0.4%	-1.0%	+10.2%	ABOVE
Logistics	-2.8%	-1.8%	-9.1%	BELOW
Industrial	-1.2%	+0.4%	-10.5%	BELOW
Cybersecurity	-4.9%	-7.0%	+4.3%	ABOVE
Chip Equipment	-2.2%	+1.3%	+0.4%	ABOVE
Data Center REITs	-3.0%	-0.4%	-5.3%	BELOW
Utilities	+1.6%	+4.3%	+3.7%	ABOVE
Energy	-1.2%	+1.6%	+2.4%	ABOVE
Defense & Aerospace	-0.4%	+1.9%	-7.1%	BELOW
Telecom	+0.8%	+1.7%	+15.5%	ABOVE
Media & Entertainment	-1.9%	-3.4%	-0.3%	BELOW
Biotech	+0.8%	+4.9%	+14.5%	ABOVE
Materials	-1.1%	-0.9%	-0.8%	ABOVE
Analog & Embedded Chips	-3.0%	+9.9%	+9.0%	ABOVE

Sector Strength

Utilities +1.6% 20d: +3.7%

Duke Energy (DUK) +2.1% (20d: +6.2%), NextEra Energy (NEE) +2.1% (20d: -1.7%), Southern Co (SO) +0.7% (20d: +6.8%)

Biotech +0.8% 20d: +14.5%

Amgen (AMGN) +1.7% (20d: +10.9%), Gilead (GILD) -0.1% (20d: +18.1%)

Telecom +0.8% 20d: +15.5%

AT&T (T) +1.8% (20d: +17.2%), Verizon (VZ) +0.6% (20d: +8.1%), T-Mobile (TMUS) -0.1% (20d: +21.3%)

Sector Warnings

Airlines -6.2% 20d: -9.7%

United (UAL) -6.4% (20d: -8.7%) [<50MA], Delta (DAL) -5.9% (20d: -10.7%) [<50MA]

Cybersecurity -4.9% 20d: +4.3%

CrowdStrike (CRWD) -6.8% (20d: +8.5%), Zscaler (ZS) -4.1% (20d: +2.6%), Palo Alto Networks (PANW) -3.9% (20d: +1.8%)

Infrastructure -3.9% 20d: +5.4%

Vertiv (VRT) -8.4% (20d: -34.4%) [<50MA], Super Micro (SMCI) -5.4% (20d: +68.5%), Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) -2.8% (20d: -13.3%) [<50MA]

Chip Supply Chain -3.6% 20d: -6.1%

Qualcomm (QCOM) -4.8% (20d: -3.9%), Intel (INTC) -4.7% (20d: +19.4%), Marvell (MRVL) -4.5% (20d: -16.3%) [<50MA]

Healthcare -3.6% 20d: -0.5%

UnitedHealth (UNH) -7.2% (20d: -12.4%) [<50MA], Eli Lilly (LLY) +0.1% (20d: +11.4%)

Sector Deep Dive

Airlines suffered the heaviest damage in today's sector analysis, with the Airlines group down 6.2% on the day and a 20-day decline of 9.7%, leaving the sector 1.9% below its 50-day trend. Delta (DAL) traded at $58.83 and fell 5.9%, while United (UAL) at $95.89 slid 6.4%, both moving further below short-term momentum and triggering a high alert on multi-week deterioration. The 50-day window shows accelerating weakness, suggesting demand or margin concerns are being re-priced into shares and keeping Airlines among the most vulnerable cyclical plays.

Infrastructure posted notable downside pressure, down 3.9% today and trading marginally below its 50-day average by 0.1% over the 50-day frame, with a sharper 20-day gain of 5.4% implying recent volatility around the longer-term trend. Vertiv (VRT) led losses inside the group at $95.81, down 8.4% on the session and marking a distress signal against the 50-day cadence. This intraday action in infrastructure names signals profit-taking after earlier positioning into spending-sensitive sectors and raises caution for infrastructure exposure ahead of potential capex slowdowns.

Cybersecurity and Enterprise Software divergence carried important signals for enterprise tech: Cybersecurity fell 4.9% today but remains 3.2% above its 50-day average, while Enterprise Software slipped 3.2% and is 1.8% below its 50-day trend. CrowdStrike (CRWD) at $101.67 declined 6.8%, amplifying the 20-day softness and testing the durability of security budgets as larger AI platform investments shift corporate priorities. The 50-day window frames this as a rotation: security remains elevated versus software, but the near-term momentum favors selective caution within the broader tech spend story.

Utilities and Energy painted the defensive picture most clearly in sector analysis, with Utilities up 1.6% and both Duke Energy (DUK) at $110.64 and NextEra Energy (NEE) at $68.44 rising 2.1% each, leaving the sector comfortably above its 50-day trend by 1.9% over the 50-day look. Energy was modestly lower at -1.2% but sits essentially flat versus the 50-day mark, showing resilience relative to cyclicals. For portfolio tilts, the 50-day trend supports defensive utility allocations while energy warrants selective exposure given mixed short-term momentum.

Market Breadth Analysis

US stock market breadth analysis shows 11 of 24 sectors trading above their 50-day moving average, while 13 are below. With the majority of sectors below the 50-day MA, medium-term momentum is deteriorating. The 20-day breadth shows 11 sectors in negative territory, pointing to widespread selling pressure.

Interactive Charts

S&P 500 & NASDAQ 100

50-Day Sector Performance

1-Day vs 5-Day Sector Change

Active Alerts

HIGH Industrial down -10.5% over 20 days

HIGH 6 sectors declining >5% over 20 days: Chip Supply Chain, Airlines, Logistics, Industrial, Data Center REITs, Defense & Aerospace

MEDIUM TSLA down -16.9% from 20-day high

Stock-Level Detail

Mag 7 (AI Spenders) Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
AAPL	$244.26	-0.1%	+0.4%	+10.3%	-0.4%	ABOVE	1
META	$680.19	-1.6%	-7.2%	+5.6%	+11.5%	ABOVE	4
MSFT	$404.23	-1.9%	+0.1%	-7.9%	-8.3%	BELOW	1
GOOG	$180.64	-2.7%	-2.8%	-10.1%	+2.5%	BELOW	2
AMZN	$216.58	-2.8%	-5.3%	-7.8%	-4.2%	BELOW	5
NVDA	$134.23	-4.1%	-3.2%	-5.7%	-3.2%	BELOW	1
TSLA	$337.80	-4.7%	-5.1%	-16.9%	-13.3%	BELOW	2

Chip Supply Chain Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
TSM	$194.60	-0.9%	-2.8%	-10.7%	-0.2%	BELOW	4
AMD	$110.84	-2.9%	-2.0%	-9.8%	-15.3%	BELOW	2
AVGO	$215.91	-3.6%	-6.2%	-10.6%	+22.5%	BELOW	2
ARM	$144.84	-4.0%	-9.2%	-10.9%	+3.7%	BELOW	3
MRVL	$103.39	-4.5%	-2.5%	-16.3%	-3.0%	BELOW	2
INTC	$24.87	-4.7%	+5.4%	+19.4%	+19.5%	ABOVE	1
QCOM	$160.18	-4.8%	-3.9%	-3.9%	+2.9%	ABOVE	2

Infrastructure Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
CSCO	$61.89	-1.1%	-1.4%	+2.8%	+9.3%	ABOVE	2
DELL	$115.10	-1.9%	+2.8%	+3.4%	-4.6%	ABOVE	2
HPE	$20.39	-2.8%	-2.6%	-13.3%	-8.0%	BELOW	2
SMCI	$56.07	-5.4%	+17.0%	+68.5%	+27.0%	ABOVE	2
VRT	$95.81	-8.4%	-11.2%	-34.4%	-23.9%	BELOW	3

Enterprise Software Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
ADBE	$444.32	-2.3%	-3.4%	+2.1%	-18.9%	BELOW	3
CRM	$306.23	-2.7%	-5.1%	-7.2%	-11.8%	BELOW	3
NOW	$187.68	-3.1%	-4.9%	-16.6%	-16.2%	BELOW	3
PLTR	$101.35	-4.6%	-14.9%	+28.3%	+39.9%	ABOVE	3

Finance Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
JPM	$256.46	-1.0%	-4.5%	-0.2%	+8.9%	ABOVE	3
GS	$607.20	-2.6%	-5.3%	-1.8%	+5.3%	ABOVE	3

Healthcare Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
LLY	$865.77	+0.1%	+3.5%	+11.4%	+8.9%	ABOVE	0
UNH	$449.13	-7.2%	-10.9%	-12.4%	-16.8%	BELOW	2

Retail Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
COST	$1027.90	+0.0%	-3.4%	+10.3%	+4.9%	ABOVE	0
WMT	$93.51	-2.5%	-8.9%	+0.0%	+1.2%	BELOW	2

IT Services Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
IBM	$253.27	-1.2%	+0.1%	+17.1%	+14.4%	ABOVE	1
ACN	$353.38	-5.3%	-6.1%	+0.5%	+1.8%	BELOW	2

Airlines Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
DAL	$58.83	-5.9%	-8.2%	-10.7%	-3.6%	BELOW	2
UAL	$95.89	-6.4%	-8.0%	-8.7%	-0.1%	BELOW	2

Hospitality & Travel Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
BKNG	$197.21	-0.5%	-1.1%	+4.7%	-3.1%	ABOVE	3
MAR	$273.72	-3.4%	-2.1%	-2.3%	-3.3%	BELOW	3

Food & Restaurant Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
MCD	$294.21	+0.6%	-1.2%	+6.8%	+1.1%	ABOVE	0
SBUX	$108.12	-1.4%	-0.7%	+13.7%	+13.1%	ABOVE	1

Logistics Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
UPS	$107.08	-0.2%	+1.5%	-11.3%	-8.2%	BELOW	1
FDX	$198.54	-5.3%	-5.1%	-7.0%	-9.1%	BELOW	1

Industrial Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
HON	$202.89	+0.3%	+4.5%	-4.3%	-5.8%	BELOW	0
CAT	$334.79	-2.6%	-3.8%	-16.6%	-14.5%	BELOW	3

Cybersecurity Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
PANW	$191.03	-3.9%	-4.5%	+1.8%	-1.8%	ABOVE	3
ZS	$198.56	-4.1%	-6.6%	+2.6%	-3.7%	ABOVE	3
CRWD	$101.67	-6.8%	-10.0%	+8.5%	+15.0%	ABOVE	3

Chip Equipment Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
ASML	$729.22	-0.8%	-1.9%	+0.9%	+4.6%	ABOVE	2
AMAT	$170.24	-2.3%	+1.9%	-7.7%	+0.3%	BELOW	1
LRCX	$85.08	-3.4%	+4.0%	+8.0%	+11.4%	ABOVE	1

Data Center REITs Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
EQIX	$889.79	-2.2%	-1.5%	-2.3%	-5.1%	BELOW	1
DLR	$158.28	-3.9%	+0.7%	-8.4%	-11.5%	BELOW	1

Utilities Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA
DUK	$110.64	+2.1%	+3.5%	+6.2%	+4.3%	ABOVE
NEE	$68.44	+2.1%	+5.2%	-1.7%	-4.2%	ABOVE
SO	$84.89	+0.7%	+4.2%	+6.8%	+5.7%	ABOVE

Energy Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
XOM	$106.29	-1.2%	+2.3%	+2.8%	-1.1%	ABOVE	1
CVX	$148.80	-1.2%	+1.0%	+1.9%	+1.0%	ABOVE	1

Defense & Aerospace Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
LMT	$423.09	+1.0%	+4.1%	-11.3%	-13.6%	BELOW	0
RTX	$120.74	-1.0%	+1.2%	-1.1%	+6.3%	ABOVE	2
GD	$236.32	-1.3%	+0.5%	-8.8%	-9.4%	BELOW	1

Telecom Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
T	$24.91	+1.8%	+2.9%	+17.2%	+15.4%	ABOVE	0
VZ	$38.77	+0.6%	+4.3%	+8.1%	+2.7%	ABOVE	0
TMUS	$258.44	-0.1%	-2.1%	+21.3%	+15.9%	ABOVE	1

Media & Entertainment Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
DIS	$106.65	-1.7%	-1.6%	-3.1%	-4.8%	BELOW	2
NFLX	$100.32	-2.1%	-5.2%	+2.6%	+9.8%	ABOVE	2

Biotech Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
AMGN	$291.59	+1.7%	+4.1%	+10.9%	+10.0%	ABOVE	0
GILD	$105.66	-0.1%	+5.6%	+18.1%	+22.4%	ABOVE	1

Materials Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
LIN	$448.98	-0.8%	+0.2%	+4.3%	+3.5%	ABOVE	3
APD	$298.11	-1.4%	-2.0%	-5.9%	-1.5%	ABOVE	2

Analog & Embedded Chips Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
TXN	$194.83	-1.0%	+10.4%	+9.7%	+5.2%	ABOVE	1
MCHP	$58.56	-5.0%	+9.5%	+8.3%	-1.3%	ABOVE	1

Key Stock Movers

Today's biggest movers by absolute percentage change: Vertiv (VRT) (Infrastructure) fell 8.4% to $95.81. UnitedHealth (UNH) (Healthcare) fell 7.2% to $449.13. CrowdStrike (CRWD) (Cybersecurity) fell 6.8% to $101.67. United (UAL) (Airlines) fell 6.4% to $95.89. Delta (DAL) (Airlines) fell 5.9% to $58.83. These individual stock movements were key drivers of their respective sector performance.

Risk and Opportunity Assessment

On the risk side, 2 high-severity alerts are currently active, signaling significant sector declines that warrant portfolio risk management attention. Consider reducing exposure to affected sectors and tightening stop-loss levels.

US Stock Market Outlook

Looking ahead, breadth is concerning: 21 sectors closed lower today and only 11 of 24 sectors remain above their 50-day moving averages, producing multiple active alerts including a High alert on Industrial down 10.5% over 20 days and six sectors declining more than 5% over 20 days. The near-term market backdrop favors risk reduction and selective long hedges — reduce exposure to weak 50-day trend sectors such as Airlines, Logistics and Data Center REITs, and redeploy into defensive Utilities and high-quality names with intact 50-day support. Monitor alert counts and sector breadth; a reversal in Mag 7 50-day momentum will be the key signal for renewed risk-on positioning.

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