The logo for ExxonMobil appears above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Energy stocks surged in the first quarter. ExxonMobil led the integrated supermajors with a gain of nearly 20%. The first quarter of the year is in the books. Following a steep sell-off in December, the S&P 500 returned 13.1% for the quarter, its best quarterly performance in nearly ten years.
The Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF tracks a market-cap-weighted index of energy companies in the S&P 500. The XLE represents the stocks of large energy companies from different sub-sectors . It is, therefore, a good benchmark for conservative energy investors. Some of the XLE’s biggest holdings are ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, EOG Resources, and Schlumberger.. Every category within the energy sector was a winner in the quarter.
The midstream sector performed slightly better than the upstream companies. The Top 20 gained 20.7% for the quarter, with 17 of the Top 20 registering double-digit returns. Leading the way was the 38.0% return of EnLink Midstream, but The Williams Companies, Kinder Morgan, and ONEOK weren't far behind. All gained at least 30% in the first quarter.