---
title: "The S&P 500 slipped 0.07% as utilities closed at a 52-week low"
url: "https://etf.net/news/the-s-p-500-slipped-0-07-as-utilities-closed-at-a-52-week-low-2026-09-24"
published_at: "2026-09-24T20:57:15.341Z"
updated_at: "2026-09-24T20:57:15.341Z"
byline: "ETF.net Research"
---

# The S&P 500 slipped 0.07% as utilities closed at a 52-week low

On Thursday, September 24, 2026, the communication services fund rose 1.3% as Meta gained 4.5%; the materials fund fell 1.2%.

By ETF.net Research. Published Sep 24, 2026.

The S&P 500 fund SPY slipped **0.07%** on Thursday. The equal-weight S&P 500 fund RSP fell **0.50%**. That 0.43 percentage-point gap is what the day cost a holder who does not own Meta and Eli Lilly.

Over one month the same split is the story. SPY is up **0.4%**. RSP is down **4.8%**. Eight of the eleven sector funds are negative over that stretch. Utilities are down 8.4%, real estate down 7.3%. Thursday did not reverse it.

## Meta and Lilly

The communication services fund XLC rose **1.3%**. Meta Platforms, **22.5%** of the fund, gained **4.5%** after it unveiled a palm-sized device for its Muse assistant and added 1.01 percentage points on its own. The two Alphabet share classes added 0.26. Meta has set this fund's direction all week. It [carried communications 3.5% higher on Monday](https://etf.net/news/meta-s-11-jump-carried-communications-3-5-higher-as-energy-fell-2-9-2026-09-21).

Chart: XLC jumped Monday, faded, then bounced Thursday

The health-care fund XLV rose **0.6%**. Eli Lilly, 15% of that fund, gained **2.9%** after the FDA approved Onswik, a once-weekly insulin for adults with type 2 diabetes. Lilly added 0.43 percentage points.

Three of the eleven sector funds finished higher. Energy was the third.

## Energy rose 0.4% as crude gained 3.3%

West Texas Intermediate was at **$95.19**, up **3.3%**. Brent crude was at $107.45, up 4.2%. The energy fund XLE rose **0.4%**. Exxon Mobil and Chevron are 41% of the fund.

Chart: Refiners and producers gained; services and pipelines fell

Houthi missiles aimed at Saudi Arabia lifted crude in the morning, when [WTI traded at $96.35](https://etf.net/news/30-year-yield-at-5-45-highest-since-2004-with-another-fed-hike-in-view-2026-09-24); the spike faded on reports that the US and Iran had discussed reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The fund is already up 42.8% this year.

## Utilities closed at a 52-week low

The 10-year Treasury yield closed at **5.18%** on Thursday, up 7 basis points after Wednesday's 15-basis-point jump to 5.11%. The 30-year closed at 5.47%, up 7 basis points, the highest since 2004. Jobless claims printed at 197,000 and August new-home sales at a 684,000 annual rate; the Treasury's seven-year auction cleared at 5.085% as the bid-to-cover fell to 2.42. New York Fed President John Williams said another hike by year-end would be "reasonable." The utilities fund XLU fell **1.0%** and closed at **$39.36**, its 52-week low.

Chart: XLU fell from $42.39 to $39.36 in two weeks

NextEra Energy, 12.9% of the fund, dropped 1.8%.

The US real estate fund VNQ fell another 0.3%, after [Wednesday's 2.3% decline](https://etf.net/news/real-estate-falls-2-3-as-the-10-year-yield-closes-at-5-11-2026-09-23). The consumer staples fund XLP dropped 0.9%, with Walmart, an 11% holding, down 2.7%. Materials XLB finished last, down 1.2%.

The technology fund VGT fell 0.3%. The Nasdaq-100 fund QQQ finished unchanged. It holds Meta. The technology fund does not.

Thursday against the month that is still running:

Table: Sector, Thursday, 1-month

The 10-year would have to stop adding basis points for this month to end. It added 7 more on Thursday.

Source: etf.net, https://etf.net/news/the-s-p-500-slipped-0-07-as-utilities-closed-at-a-52-week-low-2026-09-24. Please cite the page URL.