NEW YORK - Shares of consumer staples companies are commonly seen as a safe harbor among U.S. equities but may be more susceptible to the fallout from tensions between the United States and its trading partners than other defensive sectors such as utilities and real estate.
Stocks dived in May after U.S. President Donald Trump stated he intended to hike tariffs on goods from China. Those increases, to 25% from 10% on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, went into effect on Saturday. Over the past month, investors have turned to less risky assets such as U.S. government bonds. Among stocks, utilities, real estate and consumer staples shares, which are considered bond proxies because of their high dividend yields, outperformed the S&P 500, which fell 6.6% in May.
“Because trade and tariffs are starting to heat up again, there’s not as much of a safe-haven in consumer staples as much as something like utilities,” said Shawn Cruz, manager of trader strategy at TD Ameritrade in Jersey City, New Jersey. “You can get some benefit in being more selective among defensive sectors.”
Campbell Soup Co has said tariffs on Mexican goods would raise its costs, and such levies are also expected to have a significant impact on Constellation Brands Inc and Brown-Forman Corp, which import beer and tequila, respectively, from Mexico. “It’s a sector more leveraged than normal, and it has more risk of margin decay, and those are issues it’s had in the past,” he said.
Wondering where the boundaries of 'collateral damage' will end...
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