Core Viewpoint - The report from Tianfeng Securities indicates that industries with prolonged weak performance tend to exhibit a "prolonged decline" characteristic, with defensive sectors like environmental protection, public utilities, and transportation more likely to underperform in the long term [1][2] Industry Analysis - Industries that have underperformed for three consecutive years and are nearing their historical longest underperformance periods include beauty care, basic chemicals, and social services [4] - The construction materials, electrical equipment, and food and beverage sectors have been underperforming for a duration close to their historical longest periods, with a difference of about one year [4] - Industries that have underperformed for three consecutive years but have a higher probability of outperforming in the fourth year include food and beverage, agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, social services, and biomedicine [2][4] Defensive Sector Characteristics - The public utility sector exhibits a typical public utility attribute, characterized by weak cycles and low beta, showing low elasticity during bull markets, as evidenced in the bull markets of 2006-2007, Q1-Q3 of 2009, and H2 of 2014 to H1 of 2015 [3] - The trend of negative excess returns in public utility sectors is attributed to small-cap stocks lacking both offensive characteristics in bull markets and stable dividend attributes, leading to a divergence between industry leaders and small-cap stocks [3] - The independent market performance of leading stocks in the public utility and environmental sectors since 2017 is driven by the revaluation of dividend assets in a low-interest-rate environment, with stable earnings and high dividends contributing to a stronger "moat" and scale effect for these leaders [3] Statistical Insights - An analysis of the Shenwan first-level industries from 2007 to 2025 reveals that the probability of an industry underperforming for three consecutive years is inversely related to the conditional probability of it outperforming in the fourth year [2]