NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market is poised for a "Perfect 10."Asstocks surge this
year, putting them on course for their best annualperformance in a decade, all 10 industry groups in the
Standard &Poor’s 500 index are closing in on gains of 10 percent or more for 2013.That hasn’t
happened in almost two decades.Thelast year that all 10 industry groups in the S&P 500 closed
theyear higher by 10 percent or more was in 1995, when the overall indexrose 31 percent. There have been
several years of big yearly gainssince, but none that have seen all the sectors notch double-digit
jumps.TheS&P 500 gained 26 percent in 1998, but materials and energy stocksfell. The broader
index advanced 26 percent in 2003 but phone companiesand makers of consumer staples fell short of the 10
percent hurdle.Thereason for the broad gains this year? It’s the first time since theGreat Recession
that investors are starting to believe that the economicrecovery, while tepid, is sustainable, says
Natalie Trunow, chiefinvestment officer at Calvert Investments, an investment manager.Thehousing market
is recovering, hiring has picked up and people are lessscared of losing their jobs. That has helped
boost consumer confidenceand support spending."Only 12 months ago, the markets were notconvinced
that we were in recovery mode," says Trunow, who notes therewere fears the economy could slide back
into recession as recently aslast summer.Here are the 10 industry groups in the S&P 500index,
which is up 26 percent so far in 2013. Here’s how each sector hasperformed:HEALTH CARE: Some stocks in
this sector offer theprospect of explosive growth because of new drugs, or medical devices.Other more
established names like Pfizer tempt investors with attractivedividend yields. Health insurers have also
done well as the AffordableHealth Care Act rolls out.This year’s gain: 36 percent.CONSUMERDISCRETIONARY:
Retailers and other consumer services have surged thisyear, boosted by two of the stock market’s star
performers. Netflix hasnotched the biggest gain of 275 percent, driven by earnings andsubscriber growth.
Best Buy has jumped 230 percent as it stabilizesearnings.This year’s gain: 36 percent.INDUSTRIALS:
DeltaAir Lines and Southwest Airlines are among the biggest gainers in thissector. Airlines tend to do
well when the economy is improving as peopletravel more for business and leisure. Investors are also
optimisticthat industrial companies will benefit from an improving economy.This year’s gain: 31
percent.FINANCIALS:Banks, insurers and other financial stocks have gained on optimism thatthe industry
is healing after the financial crisis and the GreatRecession. A recovering housing market is also
helping. GenworthFinancial, an insurance company, is the biggest gainer among financialstocks, surging
102 percent as its U.S. residential mortgages businessrecovers.This year’s gain: 30 percent.CONSUMER
STAPLES:Makers of essential, everyday products might not offer the most excitinggrowth prospects, but
they pay a healthy dividend. Companies likeProcter & Gamble are particularly attractive to
investors as theyields on Treasury notes remain close to record lows.This year’s gain: 22
percent.ENERGY:U.S. oil prices rose and U.S.-based drillers increased productiondramatically, helping
push domestic production to the highest level inmore than two decades. This boosted the revenue and
profits for somecompanies in the industry. Natural gas producers got a lift as pricesrose from the
20-year lows they hit in 2012.This year’s gain: 20 percent.INFORMATIONTECHNOLOGY: Big things were
expected from the technology industry atthe start of the year. Corporations were supposed to invest
intechnology to boost productivity. It hasn’t happened to the degreeinvestors hoped. The sector has
lagged the market. The biggest gainer inthe index is chipmaker Micron, which surged 212 percent as
demand forits products rose.This year’s gain: 19 percent.MATERIALS:Sealed Air, which makes Bubble Wrap
and other types of packaging, leadsgains for the sector. The company’s stock has risen 83 percent
afterreturning to profitability. Owens-Illinois, a maker of glass containersfor beer, liquor and other
beverages, has also posted strong gains asits earnings improve.This year’s gain: 18
percent.UTILITIES:Power companies are seen as safe and steady. They might not offer goodgrowth
prospects, but everybody needs power, and these companies pay ahealthy dividend, which is important for
investors seeking income.This year’s gain: 10 percent.TELECOMMUNICATIONS:Phone companies could keep the
S&P 500 from its "Perfect 10"status. They are the laggards in the index and the only
group fallingshort of 10 percent gains. These companies are viewed in a similar lightto power companies.
Demand is steady, but growth prospects are limited.The compensation for investors for holding these
stocks is a bigdividend payment.This year’s gain: 8 percent.___AP writer Jon Fahey contributed to this
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