Stock Performance Makes Utilities Sexy

In the trash heap that is the stock market, one industry stands apart: utilities.

Utility companies make up the most attractive sector by far, according to TheStreet.com Ratings' proprietary quantitative model, which takes a "safety-first" approach. In terms of points awarded by the model, utilities get 4.54 on a scale of one to 10, with the next closest industry, consumer staples, almost a full point behind.

Even more appealing is the rate of change in those points over the past year. As industrials, materials and energy shares plummeted by 18%, 17%, and 18.75% in October, respectively, utilities declined just 9.4%. That has opened the quality gap between those industries, highlighting utilities as the most stable sector. ...