Stats Concentration and breadth Market breadth

Only 26.9% of S&P 500 shares beat the index in 2023

2023: 26.9%26.9%20232024: 27.7%27.7%20242025: 30.5%30.5%20251H 26: 46.3%46.3%1H 26

In a normally distributed market you would expect somewhere near half. Three consecutive years below a third is the anomaly, and 46.3% in 1H 2026 is a return toward normal. Source: First Trust.

Breadth measures how many companies in an index beat the index itself. In 2023 only 26.9% of S&P 500 constituents did, and just over a quarter again in 2024. The headline return described a small minority of its own members.

26.9%Beat the index, 2023
27.7%Beat the index, 2024
46.3%Beat the index, 1H 2026
+12.1%Equal weight, 1H 2026

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