Health Care and Crude Led the Week While Tech Lost Its Grip

NEW YORK, Oct. 16, 2026 /CNW/ -- American News Group News Commentary - The State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust slipped 0.28% and the Invesco QQQ Trust fell 2.62% over the five trading sessions ended Thursday, October 15, according to Stock Analysis data, as a hotter-than-expected inflation report revived concerns about interest rates and technology stocks sold off. Among U.S.-listed exchange-traded funds with at least $1 billion in assets, excluding leveraged and inverse products, the week's leaders came from health care, crude oil and a concentrated, actively managed stock portfolio. Active Funds from around the markets with current developments this week include: Akre Focus ETF (NYSE Arca: AKRE), iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF (NYSE Arca: IHF), United States Oil Fund, LP (NYSE Arca: USO), iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF (NYSE Arca: IHI), State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSE Arca: XLV).

The turn came on Wednesday. The September consumer price index showed annual inflation of 3.7%, above the 3.6% economists expected, and core inflation of 2.6%, against expectations of 2.5%, TheStreet reported. The 10-year Treasury yield climbed to 5.278%, the S&P 500 fell 1.11% and the Nasdaq dropped 1.88%. Information technology was the worst S&P 500 sector that day, down 3.00%, while health care led with a gain of 2.44% and consumer staples rose 2.21%.

Stocks steadied on Thursday as yields eased. The 10-year yield fell 10.5 basis points to 5.085%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.08% and the S&P 500 added 0.33%, with the Dow's gains led by consumer, health care and financial stocks.

Health care was the clear theme of the screen. Eight of the 15 best-performing funds on the list, which ranks returns from the October 8 close to the October 15 close, were health care ETFs. The five funds below are the week's top performers on that basis.

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The top-performing ETFs of the week include:

1. Akre Focus ETF (NYSE Arca: AKRE): up 6.72%

The actively managed Akre Focus ETF rose from $54.02 to $57.65 over the five sessions. The fund launched as an ETF on October 27, 2025 through the conversion of the Akre Focus Fund, carries a 0.98% expense ratio and holds about $4.69 billion in assets.

Its largest holdings include Mastercard, Constellation Software, Visa, Topicus.com, Roper Technologies and Moody's, according to Stock Analysis. Based on Stock Analysis closing prices, Mastercard gained 7.23%, Visa 6.57% and Moody's 5.45% over the same period.

2. iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF (NYSE Arca: IHF): up 6.69%

The iShares fund, which holds health insurers and care providers, rose from $55.79 to $59.52. Its largest holding, UnitedHealth Group, reported third quarter revenues of $112.7 billion and adjusted earnings of $4.69 per share on October 13, and raised its 2026 outlook to adjusted earnings of at least $20.50 per share.

Chief Executive Officer Stephen Hemsley said the results "reflect the discipline and execution our teams are bringing to every part of our business." Based on Stock Analysis closing prices, UnitedHealth shares gained 9.63% over the five sessions, Humana 11.64% and Elevance Health 6.86%.

3. United States Oil Fund, LP (NYSE Arca: USO): up 6.59%

The United States Oil Fund, which tracks front-month light sweet crude oil futures, rose from $147.58 to $157.31 and holds about $1.80 billion in assets. Fuel markets stayed tight: the International Energy Agency said in its October Oil Market Report, released on October 14, that global onshore inventories are hovering at their lowest levels since at least 2016 and that diesel markets remained under significant strain.

The IEA put Brent futures at around $107 a barrel at the time of writing. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark USO tracks, traded at $95.21 early on October 15, according to TheStreet.

4. iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF (NYSE Arca: IHI): up 5.70%

The medical devices fund rose from $51.10 to $54.01 and holds about $3.64 billion in assets. Its top holdings include Abbott Laboratories, Intuitive Surgical and Medtronic, according to Stock Analysis.

Based on Stock Analysis closing prices, Medtronic gained 8.77% over the five sessions, Abbott 6.28% and Intuitive Surgical 3.00%.

5. State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSE Arca: XLV): up 5.37%

The largest fund on the list, with about $43.77 billion in assets, the State Street health care sector fund rose from $168.16 to $177.19. It tracks the health care stocks in the S&P 500, with top holdings including Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, Merck and UnitedHealth Group, according to Stock Analysis.

Health care was the best-performing S&P 500 sector on October 14, the day the inflation report sent technology stocks lower.

Want to see the next rotation as it forms? The Roadmap from Stock Preachers breaks down the sectors, funds and charts driving the market three times a week, with a week-ahead edition on Monday, the mid-week movers on Wednesday and a full recap on Friday. Read it free at stockpreachers.com.

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