Defensive Sectors Hold Up Well In August

For the month of August, several of the defensive sectors in the S&P 500 Index held up fairly well relative to the performance of the overall index.

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Source: Standard & Poor's

• The sectors showing the best return for August were Information Technology, Consumer Staples, Health Care and Utilities.

• Total Return for the S&P 500 Index includes the dividends.

• Net Total Return is reinvestment of the dividend excluding estimated withholding taxes.

• The category definitions can be found at Standard & Poor's website.