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Improving#10 of 115 by 1M spread

Broker-Dealers vs the S&P 500 (IAI): is it outperforming?

Over the past month, IAI has outperformed the S&P 500 by 3.6 points. Here is where that puts it in the sector rotation — updated daily.

1M spread vs SPY
+3.6 pts
Quadrant
Improving
Momentum
Strong
RS health
Strong
Holdings P/E
25.1×

Where IAI sits on the rotation map

Broker-Dealers highlighted against the 11 broad S&P 500 sectors. Vertical: 1-month spread vs the S&P 500. Horizontal: the longer, time-shifted window — the methodology explains the math.

IAI vs SPY: head-to-head returns

IAI (broker-dealers) and SPY (the S&P 500) side by side over every window Zensei tracks. The spread is the difference — positive means IAI won that window.

Window
IAI
SPY
Spread
1 week+2.5%+0.6%+1.9 pts
2 weeks+10.4%+1.5%+9.0 pts
1 month+5.3%+1.6%+3.6 pts
3 months+10.4%+8.5%+1.9 pts
6 months+3.8%+9.5%−5.6 pts
1 year+13.2%+21.7%−8.4 pts

Data as of 2026-07-14 · computed from daily adjusted closes · how we measure

The read

Broker-Dealers (IAI) has just turned the corner. Over the longer, time-shifted window it trailed the S&P 500 by 1.9 points, but over the past month it has moved clearly ahead of the market — a 3.6-point edge that puts it in the improving quadrant. Ranked by one-month spread, it currently stands #10 of the 115 groups Zensei tracks — inside the top tier of the market.

On the shorter tape, IAI's momentum reads strong: the recent hourly trend is positive across every lookback Zensei measures. IAI's relative-strength line — its price ratio against the S&P 500 — is trading above its moving averages, the healthiest configuration we track. The two signals agree — the short-term tape and the longer trend point the same way.

The exposure comes via iShares U.S. Broker-Dealers & Securities Exchanges ETF, whose 35 tracked holdings are led by THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC, MORGAN STANLEY and CHARLES SCHWAB CORP. Weighted by portfolio, the fund's holdings trade at roughly 25.1× earnings and 7.3× sales. The thing to watch from here is confirmation: improving groups that hold a positive one-month spread long enough for the longer window to turn are the classic early-rotation entries — the ones that fail fall back quickly.

What's inside IAI

Top 5 of 35 tracked holdings, by portfolio weight.

Holding
Weight
1M
GSTHE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC
20.1%+7.3%
MSMORGAN STANLEY
17.0%+6.4%
SCHWCHARLES SCHWAB CORP
8.6%+11.0%
HOODROBINHOOD MARKETS INC CLASS A
5.6%+21.7%
MCOMOODYS CORP
4.6%+10.5%
30 more holdings — each measured against the sector, with momentum and relative strengthUnlock with Premium

Broker-Dealers vs the market — common questions

Is broker-dealers outperforming the S&P 500?

Right now, yes: over the past month IAI has outperformed the S&P 500 by 3.6 points. This page updates daily, so the answer reflects current market data rather than a dated article.

What is IAI?

IAI is iShares U.S. Broker-Dealers & Securities Exchanges ETF, the fund Zensei uses to measure the broker-dealers group against the S&P 500 benchmark (SPY).

Which stocks are in IAI?

IAI's largest tracked positions are THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC, MORGAN STANLEY, CHARLES SCHWAB CORP, ROBINHOOD MARKETS INC CLASS A, MOODYS CORP — 35 holdings in total. The full list, with each stock measured against the group, is part of Zensei Premium.

What quadrant is broker-dealers in right now?

As of the latest daily data, broker-dealers is in the improving quadrant — behind the market over the longer window, but ahead over the past month. The quadrant rules are documented on the Zensei methodology page.

Related sectors

Track broker-dealers against the whole market

Zensei Edge maps 100+ sectors and themes against the S&P 500 — with the stocks inside each one, rotation history and alerts when leadership changes hands.