Investors are hoping for a decisive result on Election Day and bracing for volatility and uncertainty in the event that the winner isn’t clear on Tuesday evening, but movement in these sin stocks gives some insight into the outcome markets are anticipating. ... [+]Shares of firearm manufacturer Smith & Wesson rose 1.6% on Tuesday and are up more than 17% year to date, while shares of Vista Outdoor, parent to a number of ammunition companies, climbed 1.
Shares of gun stocks like these are rising as investors look ahead towards the stricter firearm restrictions that they anticipate will follow a win for former vice president Joe Biden win or a Democratic Senate takeover, as well as the potential for civil unrest in the event of a contested election result.
Shares of cannabis companies are also on the rise, with Trulieve Cannabis Corp. up 24% year to date and the AdvisorShares Pure Cannabis ETF up 1.8% on Tuesday and 12% for the year. Cannabis shares are up for similar reasons: investors are looking ahead to favorable policies for cannabis and the prospect of legalization in several states.
Shares of CoreCivic and GEO Group—two major private prison companies in the United States—are down 57% and 41% for the year, respectively.
Not many gun stocks