The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that it has not been a great year for the stocks. Guest columnist Gordon Pape writes that 2023 has been better than 2022, sure, but that is not setting a very high bar. As of the close last Friday, Toronto and the Dow were hovering around break-even for the year. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq were well into positive territory, but only because of their heightened exposure to the tech sector, which has been the major bright spot this year. Mr. Pape notes that we are going through a period where some segments of the market are in retreat, such as utilities and telcos, while a few (notably tech and energy) are doing reasonably well. Investors should focus on sectors that are outperforming the broad market and then zero in on the leading performers in those areas. Ever the helpful adviser, Mr. Pape adds that you may need to do some research to find profitable securities. He likes several opportunities in the energy sector, including such companies as ARC Resources and Canadian Natural Resources. He is also a fan of transportation company TFI International and engineering and design player WSP Global.