Thursday Sector Leaders: Utilities, Consumer Products

In afternoon trading on Thursday, Utilities stocks are the best performing sector, losing just 0.1%. Within the sector, NRG Energy Inc (NYSE: NRG) and FirstEnergy Corp (NYSE: FE) are two large stocks leading the way, showing a gain of 1.2% and 0.8%, respectively. Among utilities ETFs, one ETF following the sector is the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (AMEX: XLU), which is down 0.1% on the day, and up 13.11% year-to-date. NRG Energy Inc, meanwhile, is up 4.63% year-to-date, and FirstEnergy Corp...