US Stock Market Sector Analysis – Friday, August 15, 2025 MIXED

The US stock market finished mixed as UnitedHealth (UNH) rallied on a Buffett-fueled turnaround and jumped 12.0% to $296.08, lifting the Healthcare sector (+7.3%) while the S&P 500 snapped a three-day record run after fresh macro prints. The Magnificent 7 group was slightly lower on the day, with the Mag 7 (AI Spenders) index down 0.3% as NVIDIA (NVDA) slipped 0.9% to $180.21 and Microsoft (MSFT) fell 0.4% to $516.05. Chip Supply Chain weakness (-0.9%) and outsized declines in Chip Equipment (LRCX -7.3%, AMAT -14.1%) weighed on semiconductors, while Utilities and select defensive names outperformed. Today's headlines and earnings watches for retailers set the stage for rotation between cyclical names and AI/defensive beneficiaries.

Market Condition Dashboard

US 10-Year Treasury Yield

Wait & Watch

4.33%

stable

Impact

Confidence

Crude Oil (WTI)

Neutral

$62.80

-1.8% 1D

Impact

Confidence

VIX (Fear Index)

Normal Range

15.1

+1.8% 1D

Impact

Confidence

200-Day Moving Average

Bullish Trend Intact

0/3 below

SPY above (+9.3%), QQQ above (+12.4%), DIA above (+5.2%)

Impact

Confidence

Tracked Stocks Breadth (50DMA)

Healthy Uptrend

59%

40 of 68 above 50DMA · +1.5pp 5D

Impact

Confidence

Put/Call Ratio (5D)

Contrarian Sell Signal

0.64

Too Optimistic · falling

Impact

Confidence

Signal analysis only — not investment advice

Sector Performance (Base=100)

AI and Technology Sector Analysis

AI momentum remains a bifurcated theme in the US stock market: the Magnificent 7 continue to underpin sentiment but are trading with intra-group dispersion — Alphabet (GOOG) at $204.33 and Meta (META) at $782.66 show strength while NVIDIA (NVDA) at $180.21 is giving back ground on profit-taking. The Chip Supply Chain stays constructive on the 50-day view (+20.5% 50d) but chip equipment names like Lam Research (LRCX) $98.96 and Applied Materials (AMAT) $160.58 are correcting, highlighting supply-chain sensitivity. Infrastructure-related spenders and Enterprise Software are selectively benefitting from AI rollout, yet Enterprise Software (CRM +3.9% to $240.41) remains just below its 50-day reference, keeping positioning tactical.

US Stock Sector Overview

Sector	1D	5D	20D	vs 50MA
Mag 7 (AI Spenders)	-0.3%	+1.0%	+5.0%	ABOVE
Chip Supply Chain	-0.9%	+3.6%	+2.0%	ABOVE
Infrastructure	-1.1%	-1.6%	+0.1%	ABOVE
Enterprise Software	+1.4%	+2.2%	-1.0%	BELOW
Finance	-1.7%	+1.0%	+1.7%	ABOVE
Healthcare	+7.3%	+15.5%	-0.0%	BELOW
Retail	-0.5%	-2.6%	+3.7%	BELOW
IT Services	+0.7%	+2.5%	-13.9%	BELOW
Airlines	+2.0%	+12.8%	+8.6%	ABOVE
Hospitality & Travel	-0.5%	+2.2%	-3.1%	BELOW
Food & Restaurant	-1.0%	+0.5%	+1.4%	BELOW
Logistics	-0.9%	+1.8%	-4.9%	BELOW
Industrial	-1.2%	+0.2%	-4.0%	BELOW
Cybersecurity	+1.4%	+2.3%	-9.1%	BELOW
Chip Equipment	-7.7%	-3.9%	-4.9%	BELOW
Data Center REITs	+0.6%	-0.2%	-3.4%	BELOW
Utilities	+1.2%	+0.6%	+0.4%	ABOVE
Energy	+0.5%	+1.8%	+2.0%	BELOW
Defense & Aerospace	-0.3%	+0.7%	+0.9%	ABOVE
Telecom	+1.3%	+2.5%	+6.3%	ABOVE
Media & Entertainment	-0.1%	+2.1%	-2.0%	BELOW
Biotech	+0.8%	+1.1%	+4.8%	ABOVE
Materials	-0.0%	+2.2%	+0.5%	ABOVE
Analog & Embedded Chips	+0.0%	+6.9%	-9.8%	BELOW

Sector Strength

Healthcare +7.3% 20d: -0.0%

UnitedHealth (UNH) +12.0% (20d: +7.8%), Eli Lilly (LLY) +2.7% (20d: -7.8%) [<50MA]

Airlines +2.0% 20d: +8.6%

Delta (DAL) +2.2% (20d: +7.9%), United (UAL) +1.8% (20d: +9.3%)

Cybersecurity +1.4% 20d: -9.1%

Palo Alto Networks (PANW) +2.0% (20d: -11.4%) [<50MA], Zscaler (ZS) +1.5% (20d: -4.7%) [<50MA], CrowdStrike (CRWD) +0.7% (20d: -11.1%) [<50MA]

Enterprise Software +1.4% 20d: -1.0%

Salesforce (CRM) +3.9% (20d: -7.6%) [<50MA], ServiceNow (NOW) +1.9% (20d: -9.7%) [<50MA], Adobe (ADBE) +1.8% (20d: -3.5%) [<50MA]

Telecom +1.3% 20d: +6.3%

T-Mobile (TMUS) +1.7% (20d: +9.5%), Verizon (VZ) +1.7% (20d: +4.1%), AT&T (T) +0.4% (20d: +5.4%)

Sector Warnings

Chip Equipment -7.7% 20d: -4.9%

Applied Materials (AMAT) -14.1% (20d: -16.0%) [<50MA], Lam Research (LRCX) -7.3% (20d: -2.2%), ASML -1.7% (20d: +3.4%) [<50MA]

Finance -1.7% 20d: +1.7%

Goldman Sachs (GS) -2.2% (20d: +3.5%), JPMorgan (JPM) -1.2% (20d: -0.2%)

Industrial -1.2% 20d: -4.0%

Caterpillar (CAT) -2.3% (20d: -0.6%), Honeywell (HON) -0.1% (20d: -7.4%) [<50MA]

Infrastructure -1.1% 20d: +0.1%

Cisco (CSCO) -4.5% (20d: -3.1%) [<50MA], Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) -0.8% (20d: +2.4%), Dell (DELL) -0.4% (20d: +7.7%)

Food & Restaurant -1.0% 20d: +1.4%

Starbucks (SBUX) -2.0% (20d: -1.6%) [<50MA], McDonald's (MCD) -0.0% (20d: +4.5%)

Sector Deep Dive

Chip Equipment showed the most acute intraday stress and is the primary short-term drag on the semiconductor complex. Lam Research (LRCX) fell 7.3% to $98.96 and Applied Materials (AMAT) plunged 14.1% to $160.58 inside a 50-day window where the sector's 50d reading is +5.2%; that contrast suggests profit-taking atop a still-positive intermediate trend. Within the 50-day timeframe, the broader Chip Supply Chain is up 20.5% over 50 days, but the equipment subgroup's sharp one-day losses expose a vulnerability in capital-spend expectations and warrants watching for follow-through below short-term support.

Healthcare outperformed on the day led by the Buffett-backed rebound in UnitedHealth (UNH), which surged 12.0% to $296.08 and anchored the sector's 50-day context that is -2.4% versus the S&P. Eli Lilly (LLY) also contributed, rising 2.7% to $697.83, reinforcing defensive leadership as investors rotated into stable earnings amid macro uncertainty. Over the 50-day window the sector is slightly negative versus the S&P, but today's event-driven strength argues for a near-term leadership role for select large-cap healthcare names while monitoring earnings cadence from insurers and biotechs.

Enterprise Software showed selective resilience with Salesforce (CRM) gaining 3.9% to $240.41 even as the broader Enterprise Software sector sits below its 50-day level (+2.3% 50d yet flagged as below the 50MA). The 50-day timeframe implies modest intermediate support, but the group's performance is being driven by name-by-name earnings and AI integration narratives rather than broad-based momentum. For portfolio construction, the 50-day lens suggests favoring enterprise names with visible AI revenue uptake and stable subscription metrics while trimming exposure to cyclically exposed software vendors.

Utilities and Energy diverged on safety and yield considerations within the 50-day window. NextEra Energy (NEE) climbed 4.4% to $73.29 as Utilities remain above their 50-day context (+6.2% 50d), providing a defensive offset to today's tech-led rotation. Energy is trading below its 50-day reference (+10.0% 50d but listed as BELOW), reflecting mixed commodity dynamics; the 50-day trend for Utilities supports a tactical tilt into quality yield names if risk-off signals intensify, while Energy should be monitored for mean-reversion opportunities tied to commodity moves.

Market Breadth Analysis

US stock market breadth analysis shows 10 of 24 sectors trading above their 50-day moving average, while 14 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 IT Services down -13.9% over 20 days

HIGH IT Services down -15.4% over 50 days

HIGH 3 sectors declining >5% over 20 days: IT Services, Cybersecurity, Analog & Embedded Chips

Stock-Level Detail

Mag 7 (AI Spenders) Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
GOOG	$204.33	+0.5%	+1.6%	+7.2%	+20.8%	ABOVE	0
META	$782.66	+0.4%	+2.5%	+10.1%	+14.8%	ABOVE	0
AMZN	$231.03	+0.0%	+4.4%	+0.8%	+11.1%	ABOVE	0
MSFT	$516.05	-0.4%	-0.3%	+2.0%	+11.2%	ABOVE	1
AAPL	$230.94	-0.5%	+1.9%	+9.1%	+15.6%	ABOVE	2
NVDA	$180.21	-0.9%	-0.9%	+5.3%	+28.9%	ABOVE	1
TSLA	$330.56	-1.5%	-2.5%	+0.6%	+16.1%	ABOVE	3

Chip Supply Chain Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
INTC	$24.56	+2.9%	+18.9%	+5.6%	+22.9%	ABOVE	0
QCOM	$154.59	-0.2%	+6.7%	-0.7%	+7.0%	ABOVE	1
TSM	$236.27	-0.9%	-1.3%	+0.0%	+17.9%	ABOVE	3
ARM	$138.91	-1.2%	-1.5%	-14.2%	+7.2%	BELOW	3
AVGO	$304.11	-1.6%	+0.8%	+6.3%	+18.1%	ABOVE	1
AMD	$177.51	-1.9%	+3.0%	+13.1%	+53.4%	ABOVE	2
MRVL	$76.03	-3.6%	-1.4%	+4.3%	+17.0%	ABOVE	2

Infrastructure Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
VRT	$132.92	+0.4%	-4.8%	+5.4%	+18.6%	ABOVE	0
SMCI	$45.37	-0.3%	+0.4%	-11.9%	+11.3%	BELOW	3
DELL	$136.77	-0.4%	-0.0%	+7.7%	+24.2%	ABOVE	3
HPE	$20.73	-0.8%	+2.8%	+2.4%	+20.0%	ABOVE	2
CSCO	$64.86	-4.5%	-6.3%	-3.1%	+3.1%	BELOW	3

Enterprise Software Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
CRM	$240.41	+3.9%	+4.2%	-7.6%	-9.1%	BELOW	0
NOW	$173.45	+1.9%	+1.3%	-9.7%	-14.8%	BELOW	0
ADBE	$354.85	+1.8%	+6.4%	-3.5%	-14.5%	BELOW	0
PLTR	$177.17	-2.1%	-3.0%	+16.7%	+47.8%	ABOVE	3

Finance Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
JPM	$285.04	-1.2%	+0.3%	-0.2%	+11.4%	ABOVE	1
GS	$716.30	-2.2%	+1.6%	+3.5%	+20.6%	ABOVE	1

Healthcare Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
UNH	$296.08	+12.0%	+20.5%	+7.8%	+3.5%	ABOVE	0
LLY	$697.83	+2.7%	+10.6%	-7.8%	-8.2%	BELOW	0

Retail Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
COST	$967.94	-0.3%	-1.7%	+2.7%	-3.7%	BELOW	3
WMT	$99.40	-0.6%	-3.6%	+4.8%	+2.3%	ABOVE	4

IT Services Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
IBM	$235.32	+1.1%	+1.4%	-15.2%	-9.6%	BELOW	0
ACN	$242.02	+0.3%	+3.5%	-12.5%	-21.3%	BELOW	0

Airlines Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
DAL	$59.59	+2.2%	+12.6%	+7.9%	+23.8%	ABOVE	0
UAL	$100.93	+1.8%	+13.0%	+9.3%	+25.6%	ABOVE	0

Hospitality & Travel Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
MAR	$262.87	-0.5%	+2.8%	-2.3%	+2.1%	BELOW	2
BKNG	$216.34	-0.6%	+1.7%	-3.9%	-1.9%	BELOW	1

Food & Restaurant Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
MCD	$301.61	-0.0%	+1.5%	+4.5%	-0.0%	ABOVE	1
SBUX	$88.85	-2.0%	-0.6%	-1.6%	+4.8%	BELOW	2

Logistics Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
UPS	$82.79	-0.1%	+2.5%	-10.5%	-8.7%	BELOW	1
FDX	$179.63	-1.6%	+1.2%	+0.7%	+5.5%	BELOW	1

Industrial Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
HON	$210.78	-0.1%	+0.7%	-7.4%	-3.9%	BELOW	2
CAT	$404.90	-2.3%	-0.2%	-0.6%	+17.3%	ABOVE	1

Cybersecurity Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA
PANW	$177.09	+2.0%	+5.3%	-11.4%	-10.2%	BELOW
ZS	$274.97	+1.5%	+1.4%	-4.7%	-8.6%	BELOW
CRWD	$106.97	+0.7%	+0.3%	-11.1%	-7.6%	BELOW

Chip Equipment Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
ASML	$738.26	-1.7%	+2.9%	+3.4%	-0.5%	BELOW	2
LRCX	$98.96	-7.3%	-2.4%	-2.2%	+17.5%	ABOVE	1
AMAT	$160.58	-14.1%	-12.3%	-16.0%	-1.5%	BELOW	2

Data Center REITs Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
EQIX	$763.94	+0.8%	+0.6%	-1.0%	-14.1%	BELOW	0
DLR	$162.22	+0.4%	-1.1%	-5.8%	-4.5%	BELOW	0

Utilities Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
NEE	$73.29	+4.4%	+4.1%	-1.0%	+5.5%	ABOVE	0
SO	$91.09	-0.1%	-0.5%	-0.8%	+6.4%	ABOVE	2
DUK	$119.34	-0.6%	-1.6%	+3.1%	+6.7%	ABOVE	2

Energy Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
CVX	$150.26	+0.9%	+2.0%	+4.6%	+14.4%	ABOVE	0
XOM	$104.16	+0.1%	+1.6%	-0.5%	+5.5%	BELOW	0

Defense & Aerospace Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
LMT	$426.07	+0.1%	+2.7%	-5.0%	-8.5%	BELOW	0
RTX	$152.34	-0.2%	-0.0%	+2.1%	+11.3%	ABOVE	2
GD	$308.25	-0.7%	-0.4%	+5.6%	+14.9%	ABOVE	2

Telecom Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA
TMUS	$249.92	+1.7%	+2.3%	+9.5%	+4.0%	ABOVE
VZ	$41.41	+1.7%	+2.5%	+4.1%	+3.8%	ABOVE
T	$27.57	+0.4%	+2.6%	+5.4%	+5.0%	ABOVE

Media & Entertainment Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
NFLX	$123.89	+0.7%	+1.7%	+0.5%	-0.9%	ABOVE	0
DIS	$113.74	-0.8%	+2.5%	-4.5%	+3.0%	BELOW	2

Biotech Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
AMGN	$287.82	+2.1%	+4.0%	+0.2%	+3.3%	ABOVE	0
GILD	$115.36	-0.5%	-1.7%	+9.3%	+7.9%	ABOVE	2

Materials Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
LIN	$473.70	+0.5%	+2.1%	+2.1%	+2.1%	ABOVE	0
APD	$282.92	-0.6%	+2.3%	-1.1%	+5.8%	ABOVE	2

Analog & Embedded Chips Show individual tickers

Ticker	Price	1D	5D	20D	50D	vs 50MA	Down Days
TXN	$190.63	+0.4%	+5.9%	-8.7%	+2.9%	BELOW	0
MCHP	$63.97	-0.4%	+7.8%	-11.0%	+2.1%	BELOW	1

Key Stock Movers

Today's biggest movers by absolute percentage change: Applied Materials (AMAT) (Chip Equipment) fell 14.1% to $160.58. UnitedHealth (UNH) (Healthcare) rose 12.0% to $296.08. Lam Research (LRCX) (Chip Equipment) fell 7.3% to $98.96. Cisco (CSCO) (Infrastructure) fell 4.5% to $64.86. NextEra Energy (NEE) (Utilities) rose 4.4% to $73.29. These individual stock movements were key drivers of their respective sector performance.

Risk and Opportunity Assessment

On the risk side, 3 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

Breadth is uneven: 10 sectors are above their 50MA versus 14 below, and active alerts show three high-risk themes (IT Services, Cybersecurity, Analog & Embedded Chips) with IT Services down 13.9% over 20 days and 15.4% over 50 days. With 10 sectors up and 11 down today, the S&P 500 sits in a rotation phase rather than a broad rally; monitor how many sectors reassert 50-day leadership over the next week. Positioning guidance: favor selective healthcare and defensive utilities on event-driven strength, add tactical exposure to chip supply names that hold 50-day support, and trim names in flagged, structurally weak groups until 50-day momentum stabilizes.

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