History of Market · The Chronicle of the U.S. Stock Market Consumer
Gathering VI · leaf 7 of 16
XLY · Return Distribution

XLY · Return Distribution — Distribution of Consumer Discretionary Annual Total Returns

Consumer Discretionary Return Distribution — Histogram of XLY calendar-year total returns.

Calendar-year total returns binned by size, dividends reinvested. Read this histogram together with the staples one beneath it: the discretionary distribution is the wider of the two in both directions, which is the whole argument for calling the sector cyclical.

View the interactive chart Download raw JSON

What this page answers

This static page is built to answer searches for XLY · Return Distribution. It summarizes the live dataset behind the Distribution of Consumer Discretionary Annual Total Returns panel and links to the full interactive chart.

Calendar-year total returns binned by size, dividends reinvested. Read this histogram together with the staples one beneath it: the discretionary distribution is the wider of the two in both directions, which is the whole argument for calling the sector cyclical. The data is refreshed by the History of Market pipeline and published as a stable JSON endpoint for research, citation, and AI-agent use.

The plate

XLY · Return Distribution — Distribution of Consumer Discretionary Annual Total Returns0246-40%-20%0%20%40%60%
Plate VI.7 Calendar-year total returns binned by size, dividends reinvested. Read this histogram together with the staples one beneath it: the discretionary distribution is the wider of the two in both directions, which is the whole argument for calling the sector cyclical. 2026-09-06

Latest Snapshot

Updated
2026-09-06
Average
+1,205.0%
Positive years
21
Negative years
6
Best year
2013 +4,268.0%
Worst year
2022 -3,627.0%
Observations
28
Sample
1999 – 2026

Data & Source

GET /api/consumer/xly-annual-tr.json — Canonical dataset endpoint.

Exchange closing prices · Company filings · Robert Shiller · FRED · NBER.

FAQ

Where does this data come from?

History of Market combines public market and macro datasets — exchange closing prices, company filings, Robert Shiller, FRED, NBER, and the UBS Global Investment Returns Yearbook (Dimson–Marsh–Staunton). The exact endpoint for this panel is linked below.

How often is it updated?

Daily-tier datasets refresh after the U.S. market close, with a broader weekly refresh on Sunday. The timestamp shown on this page comes from the JSON payload.

Can I use the data?

Yes, for research and education with attribution to History of Market. Upstream data sources retain their own terms.