Consumer staples on track for best month since 1998 as sector surges

[Trolley filled with groceries in wholesale store Landscape] Smile/DigitalVision via Getty Images The S&P 500 consumer staples sector is on track for its strongest monthly performance since October 1998, with the sector’s latest advance standing out against a history of sharp swings between gains and losses, according to a chart shared by Kevin Gordon, Head of Macro Research and Strategy, Schwab Center. The S&P 500 Consumer Staples was up 11.64% in October, according to the chart, which tracks monthly percentage changes from 1990 through October 2026.