Sector Rotation Analyst
Identify which of the 11 GICS sectors are leading or lagging the market using live sector performance data, ETF holdings, and index constituent analysis from the Finskills API. Generates a sector rotation map with actionable over/underweight recommendations aligned with the current macro regime.
Setup
API Key required — Register at https://finskills.net to get your free key.
Header: X-API-Key: <your_api_key>
Get your API key: Register at https://finskills.net — free tier available, Pro plan unlocks real-time quotes, history, and financials.
When to Activate This Skill
Activate when the user:
- Asks which sectors are leading or lagging the market
- Wants top stock picks within a specific sector
- Asks about sector rotation strategy based on the economic cycle
- Wants to understand which ETFs offer sector exposure
- Asks "where is smart money flowing?" or "which sectors are hot right now?"
Data Retrieval — Finskills API Calls
1. Sector Performance Data
GET https://finskills.net/v1/market/sectors
Extract: All 11 GICS sectors with performance across timeframes: 1D, 1W, 1M, 3M, YTD, 1Y
2. ETF Holdings (for sector leaders)
For each sector's representative ETF (XLK, XLF, XLV, etc.):
GET https://finskills.net/v1/free/etf/holdings/{SECTOR_ETF}
Extract: top 10 holdings (ticker, weight, company name)
3. S&P 500 Index Constituents (for sector weights)
GET https://finskills.net/v1/free/index/SP500/constituents
Extract: all constituents with sector classification — compute actual S&P 500 sector weights
4. Market Summary (Benchmark Context)
GET https://finskills.net/v1/market/summary
Extract: S&P 500, Nasdaq, Russell 2000 performance for relative comparison
Sector ETF Reference Map
| Sector | ETF | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Technology | XLK | Software, hardware, semiconductors |
| Healthcare | XLV | Pharma, biotech, medical devices |
| Financials | XLF | Banks, insurance, asset managers |
| Consumer Discretionary | XLY | Retail, autos, restaurants |
| Industrials | XLI | Defense, aerospace, construction |
| Communication Services | XLC | Media, telecom, internet |
| Consumer Staples | XLP | Food, beverage, household products |
| Energy | XLE | Oil & gas, refiners |
| Real Estate | XLRE | REITs |
| Materials | XLB | Mining, chemicals, paper |
| Utilities | XLU | Power, water, gas utilities |
Analysis Workflow
Step 1 — Sector Performance Snapshot
Create a leaderboard for each performance period: 1D, 1W, 1M, 3M, YTD:
Rank sectors from best to worst performer for each timeframe.
Flag divergences:
- Sector outperforming YTD but recently lagging 1M: momentum fade, potential reversal
- Sector lagging YTD but recently leading 1M: early rotation, potential breakout
Relative strength vs. S&P 500 for each sector:
Sector Relative Return = Sector Return − S&P 500 Return (same period)
- Positive = outperforming (overweight candidate)
- Negative = underperforming (underweight candidate)
Step 2 — Sector Rotation Cycle Mapping
Map current sector performance to the classic economic cycle:
Economic Cycle → Sector Leadership Pattern:
Early Recovery (recession ending):
Leaders: Consumer Discretionary, Financials, Industrials
Laggards: Utilities, Consumer Staples, Healthcare
Middle Expansion (goldilocks):
Leaders: Technology, Industrials, Basic Materials
Laggards: Utilities, Consumer Staples
Late Expansion (overheating):
Leaders: Energy, Materials, Healthcare
Laggards: Financials, Consumer Discretionary
Contraction (recession):
Leaders: Consumer Staples, Utilities, Healthcare
Laggards: Energy, Financials, Consumer Discretionary
Cross reference actual sector performance to infer the current cycle phase and whether the market is rotating toward or away from the expected pattern.
Step 3 — Top Stock Leaders Within Sectors
For the top 2–3 leading sectors, extract top ETF holdings:
- List top 5 companies by weight in the sector ETF
- Note weighting (stocks with > 10% weight dominate ETF returns)
- Flag the sector ETF's largest contributors to recent performance
Step 4 — Sector Concentration in S&P 500
From the index constituents data:
- Show current S&P 500 sector weights
- Flag if any sector is > 30% weight (systemic concentration risk for index investors)
- Note sector weight trend (growing vs. shrinking weight)
Step 5 — Recommendations
Provide:
- Overweight (OW): 2–3 sectors with strongest momentum + macro tailwinds
- Neutral (N): sectors with mixed signals or in transition
- Underweight (UW): sectors with weakening momentum + macro headwinds
Output Format
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ SECTOR ROTATION REPORT — {DATE} ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
📊 SECTOR PERFORMANCE LEADERBOARD
Sector ETF 1D 1W 1M 3M YTD
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Technology XLK +1.8% +3.2% +8.1% +15.2% +22.4%
Communication Svcs XLC +1.2% +2.1% +5.3% +11.0% +18.1%
Consumer Disc. XLY +0.9% +1.0% +2.2% +5.1% +12.3%
Industrials XLI +0.4% +0.3% +1.1% +3.2% +8.4%
Financials XLF -0.1% -0.5% +0.8% +2.1% +6.2%
Healthcare XLV -0.3% +0.1% -0.5% +1.0% +4.1%
Materials XLB -0.5% -1.2% -1.0% +0.2% +2.1%
Energy XLE -0.8% -2.1% -4.2% -3.0% -2.4%
Real Estate XLRE -1.0% -1.5% -2.3% -1.2% -3.0%
Consumer Staples XLP -1.1% -1.0% -1.8% +0.5% +2.0%
Utilities XLU -1.4% -2.0% -3.1% -2.5% -1.5%
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
S&P 500 (SPY) +0.5% +0.8% +2.3% +5.4% +10.2%
🔄 ROTATION CYCLE SIGNAL: {Cycle Phase — e.g., "Mid-to-Late Expansion"}
Market aligning with: {expected leaders for this cycle} ✅
Anomalies: {any sectors not behaving as expected}
🏆 TOP SECTORS — EXPANDED VIEW
#1 Technology (XLK) — YTD +22.4% vs SPY +10.2% (+12.2pp)
Top Holdings: AAPL {weight}%, MSFT {weight}%, NVDA {weight}%, ...
Catalyst: {AI capex cycle / Strong pricing power / etc.}
#2 Communication Services (XLC) — YTD +18.1% vs SPY +10.2% (+7.9pp)
Top Holdings: GOOG {weight}%, META {weight}%, ...
Catalyst: {Digital advertising recovery / streaming growth}
#3 {Next sector...}
📉 WEAKEST SECTORS
Utilities (XLU) — YTD -1.5% | Headwind: Rising rates hurt dividend valuations
Energy (XLE) — YTD -2.4% | Headwind: Oil supply increase, demand concerns
🏛️ S&P 500 SECTOR WEIGHTS
Technology: {%} | Healthcare: {%} | Financials: {%} | ...
[⚠️ Flag if Tech > 30%]
🎯 TACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS
OVERWEIGHT: {Sector 1}, {Sector 2} — {rationale}
NEUTRAL: {Sector 3}, {Sector 4}
UNDERWEIGHT: {Sector 5}, {Sector 6} — {rationale}
Limitations
- Sector ETF performance may diverge from underlying sector due to size/weight concentration.
- Sector rotation is a medium-term (1–6 month) framework; it has low signal at daily resolution.
- ETF holdings data may lag actual portfolio composition by 1–3 months.