Alphabet ( GOOG) ( GOOGL ), Philip Morris International ( PM) and Mastercard ( MA) were among the least shorted S&P 500 ( SP500) stocks at December end.

ETFs can hold hundreds or even thousands of individual stocks, but the Roundhill ETF only holds 50. That means it's relatively concentrated, which can be a recipe for volatility, so it's mainly suitable for investors who already have a diversified portfolio of other ETFs and/or stocks.

There are 11 stock market sectors, but only three beat the S&P 500 last year: communications, financials, and consumer discretionary. Even the technology sector underperformed the S&P 500 last year. In fact, only 148 S&P 500 components beat the index last year, meaning over 70% of components underperformed the index.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq have both felt pressure as shares of major tech companies came under pressure Monday. Investors continue to keep a close eye on rising Treasury yields, which heighten worries about valuations, particularly for some of the market's most highly valued names.

Investors are also turning to derivatives, such as CME Group’s S&P 500-equal weight futures, to bet on the S&P while hedging against a sharp drop in tech stocks. The contract, which launched in February, has averaged open interest of 16,500 contracts this month, worth about $2.4bn.

Big Tech stocks were weighing on the S&P 500 index on Monday, with the megacap chip maker Nvidia Corp. posting the sharpest losses. The Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF — which holds seven Big Tech stocks including Nvidia Corp.

The biggest US tech stocks have enjoyed an earnings bonanza in the past two years, leading to their significant outperformance of the broader market.

If the Magnificent Seven continues to produce outsize returns, the Mega Cap Growth ETF will probably beat the S&P 500 again in 2025. But the more stock prices outpace earnings growth, the more extended valuations become, which can pressure companies to deliver incredible results.

The S&P 500’s communications services sector (NYSEARCA:XLC) is up nearly 31% in the last one year, outperforming the over 22% rise in the broader market. Alphabet was preceded by Walt Disney ...

Producer price data signals softer inflation, lifting Dow. Nasdaq, S&P 500 under pressure as Nvidia and Meta fall. CPI report looms for further insights.

Nvidia stock is likely to be a top performer again in 2025 as the company ramps up shipments of its new Blackwell graphics processing units ( GPU s) for data centers. They are potentially the most powerful chips in the world for developing AI models, and demand for them far exceeds supply.

U.S. stocks declined on Monday, with the S&P 500 hitting a two-month low as bond yields surged following strong payroll data last week, reinforcing bets that the Federal Reserve will maintain a hawkish stance through most of the year.