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Just For You

The S&P 500’s Top-Performing Sectors: 3 Lead the Pack in 2025

Submitted by Leo Miller. Published: 1/5/2026. 

Summary

• The S&P 500 returned 18% in 2025, but only three sectors—technology, communications, and industrials—outperformed the index.
• AI adoption was the dominant driver of gains across all three sectors, from chipmakers and hyperscalers to defense firms and power infrastructure.
• Key stock contributors included NVIDIA, Broadcom, Alphabet, GE Aerospace, and Micron—all of which fueled sector-level outperformance.

Despite notable volatility, the S&P 500 Index delivered an 18% total return in 2025—its third consecutive year of 15% or higher gains. However, that strength was not evenly distributed across all 11 sectors.

Only three sectors outperformed the broader index, each fueled by distinct tailwinds such as AI momentum, infrastructure investment, and content demand. Sector-level performance is based on State Street’s SPDR Sector ETFs.

Industrials Soar as Aerospace, Defense and Power Drive Growth

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Coming in third place, the industrials sector slightly outperformed the index with a 19.5% return. Two key themes—airspace and defense, and data centers—drove much of the sector’s strength. GE Aerospace (NYSE: GE) and RTX (NYSE: RTX) returned 86% and 61%, respectively, contributing roughly 600 basis points to the sector’s total return.

Both firms reported strong sales from commercial and defense customers. GE Aerospace finished the quarter with a backlog of $175 billion, while RTX’s backlog stood at $250 billion—several times larger than each company’s trailing‑12‑month revenue—providing substantial revenue visibility.

Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) returned 61%, benefiting from data center buildouts. Caterpillar’s power generation business sells reciprocating engines that provide backup power to data centers when grids fail—and are increasingly used to supply power in non‑emergency situations as well.

Hyperscalers and a Mega‑Merger Put Communications in Second

The communications sector took second place in 2025, delivering a 23% total return. Although often associated with technology, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) and Google parent Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) are classified as communications stocks; they rose 13% and 66%, respectively.

Meta’s revenue growth accelerated each quarter, driven by investments in artificial intelligence (AI). Google also posted strong growth—its 16% revenue increase in Q3 2025 was its fastest in more than three years—with Search, Google Cloud and YouTube ads all boosted by AI. Google further cemented its leadership in large language models with Gemini. Together, Meta and Alphabet added about 1,110 basis points to the sector’s return.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) contributed more than 300 basis points as its stock surged 172% amid takeover interest, ultimately accepting Netflix’s (NASDAQ: NFLX) offer.

AI Pushes Technology to the Top

Technology was the best‑performing sector in 2025, returning 24.6%—largely powered by AI-related demand. Advanced chip designers NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) returned 39% and 51%, respectively, as hyperscalers continued to ramp up purchases. Together they contributed about 760 basis points to the sector’s return.

The memory chip trade also lifted returns. Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) soared 240%, while wafer‑fabrication equipment maker Lam Research (NASDAQ: LRCX)jumped 140%. Demand for memory driven by AI pushed Micron to sell out its 2026 production capacity for high‑bandwidth memory (HBM), which in turn benefits equipment suppliers like Lam. Combined, Micron and Lam added about 380 basis points to the sector’s return.

On the software side, Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) was among the biggest winners, rising 135% as U.S. government and commercial customers spent heavily to deploy its Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP).

AI’s Reach Extended Across Industrials, Communications and Technology

AI was the common thread linking these three top sectors in 2025. From heavy machinery and power solutions to chips and enterprise software, the technology is reshaping a broad swath of the economy.

Analysts expect AI investment to continue rising in 2026, but the list of winners will likely change as the technology and its applications evolve.

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