Natural Gas vs the S&P 500 (FCG): is it outperforming?
Over the past month, FCG has outperformed the S&P 500 by 7.6 points. Here is where that puts it in the sector rotation — updated daily.
Where FCG sits on the rotation map
Natural Gas 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.
FCG vs SPY: head-to-head returns
FCG (natural gas) and SPY (the S&P 500) side by side over every window Zensei tracks. The spread is the difference — positive means FCG won that window.
Data as of 2026-08-28 · computed from daily adjusted closes · how we measure
The read
Natural Gas (FCG) has just turned the corner. Over the longer, time-shifted window it trailed the S&P 500 by 0.8 points, but over the past month it has moved decisively ahead of the market — a 7.6-point edge that puts it in the Emerging quadrant. Ranked by one-month spread, it currently stands #22 of the 115 groups Zensei tracks.
On the shorter tape, FCG's momentum is mixed: the longer intraday trend is still positive, but the recent windows have gone flat. FCG's relative-strength line is holding around its moving averages — the trend is intact but no longer extending. The longer trend remains healthier than the recent tape suggests — the kind of divergence worth rechecking in a week.
The exposure comes via First Trust Natural Gas ETF, whose 43 tracked holdings are led by WESTERN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP, CONOCOPHILLIPS and EOG RESOURCES INC. Weighted by portfolio, the fund's holdings trade at roughly 17.8× earnings and 7.5× sales. The thing to watch from here is confirmation: emerging 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 FCG
Top 5 of 43 tracked holdings, by portfolio weight.
Natural Gas vs the market — common questions
Is natural gas outperforming the S&P 500?
Right now, yes: over the past month FCG has outperformed the S&P 500 by 7.6 points. This page updates daily, so the answer reflects current market data rather than a dated article.
What is FCG?
FCG is First Trust Natural Gas ETF, the fund Zensei uses to measure the natural gas group against the S&P 500 benchmark (SPY).
Which stocks are in FCG?
FCG's largest tracked positions are WESTERN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP, CONOCOPHILLIPS, EOG RESOURCES INC, HESS MIDSTREAM LP CLASS A, OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM CORP — 43 holdings in total. The full list, with each stock measured against the group, is part of Zensei Premium.
What quadrant is natural gas in right now?
As of the latest daily data, natural gas is in the Emerging 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 natural gas 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.