Nearly 2 Out of 3 US Stocks Lost Money in 2023

Out of the 5,418 common stocks listed in the United States, a significant portion of them, 3,370 in total, have recorded negative total returns year-to-date. This accounts for approximately 62% of the stocks, prompting many investors to express concerns about the lack of a broad market recovery.

Among these stocks, 2,383 have seen losses ranging from 0% to -50%, while only 1,632 have shown gains within the 0% to 50% range. Notably, 987 stocks have suffered losses exceeding 50%, a twofold increase compared to the number of stocks that managed gains above 50%.

The median return stands at -12%, with an average of -10%. This suggests that the gainers have not been sufficient to offset the losses, or that the losses have outweighed the gains. It's important to consider that many indices tend to be skewed toward larger stocks, making these results potentially non-representative of the overall market conditions.

The underperformance is not limited to small-cap stocks; even prominent names have seen declines. Surprisingly, Big Oil companies like ExxonMobil and Chevron have seen drops despite increasing oil prices. Additionally, defense companies such as Lockheed Martin, RTX Corp, and Northrop Grumman have all delivered negative returns in a year marked by rising conflicts.

Here, you'll discover a compilation of blue-chip stocks that I've selected due to their familiarity among most investors. A significant number of these stocks are typically regarded as defensive investments, implying that they should withstand declines better when the economy is sluggish and market sentiment is pessimistic. Nevertheless, all of these stocks have experienced declines exceeding 10% year-to-date, despite the economy and sentiment remaining relatively stable: