Which sectors outperformed during 20 years of booms and busts?

Top sector performers over 20 years

To mark Investment Week's 20th Anniversary, Hardeep Tawakley takes a closer look at how different Investment Association (IA) sectors have performed over the past two decades.

Tech boom In 1995, the IA Technology & Telecoms sector was the stand-out performer of the year returning almost 50%. Between 1995 and 2000, sector returns averaged nearly 24% a year, five times greater than other sectors, and the growth culminated in the sector returning a record 142.4% in 1999. But by 2002, the party had ended and the sector posted its biggest loss of 20 years at 49.3%. Despite the eventual bursting of the bubble in 2000, the tech boom of the mid-1990s boosted other equity sectors significantly.  For example, from 1995 until 1999, the IA North American sect...