FSTA News and Press, Fidelity MSCI COnsumer Staples Index From 02/20/23

Summary To date, 103 of the 201 companies in our Retail/Restaurant Index have reported their EPS results for Q4 2022, representing 51% of the index. All eyes are on Walmart and Home Depot as they kick off Q4 retail earnings season. Walmart’s e-commerce is expected to grow a r...

Summary The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF is a relatively low-cost (0.10% fees) sleep well at night ("SWAN") fund that can be a shelter-in-the-storm during times of economic & market volatility. That's because the relatively un-glamorous yet defensive-oriented consumer staples compa...

Summary Larger surprises were in vehicle and restaurant sales as economic activity continues to exit the COVID era. Unexpected and significant retail sales gains occurred in vehicle sales and restaurants. Past economies have expanded at much higher rates. Real Retail Sales...

Summary Economists were expecting a sharp recovery in US retail spending in January, but the actual number blew past even the most optimistic forecast. The strength in retail spending and payrolls in January conflicts with a variety of broad business-cycle indicators that reflect a weak...

Summary Over the past couple of months, we have seen a clear downtrend emerge in the coincident measure of economic growth, suggesting we are on the path to recession. Inflation is also clearly rolling over. However, this is not the case within the labour market nor the services sector,...

Summary Why investors may be missing the big picture in the markets. Equity markets are facing volatility, but opportunities remain. Markets are off to a strong start, but that may fade soon. Equity markets are off to a strong start this year, but those gains are b...

Summary Much of the 2022 flavor of the polycrisis focused on the danger side. But there are opportunities to be explored as well. As we look ahead to 2023, we are at the same time mindful of the potential threats that await and the opportunities that may present themselves as everything...

Summary The first month of 2023 (and the last month of the retail industry’s Q4 2022) saw America’s largest party supply store file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a move that the StarMine credit models had predicted about a year ago. According to StarMine, Bed Bath & Beyon...

Summary The debate about globalization will be interesting as companies increasingly seek alternatives to China and return to more domestic suppliers to solve their global supply chain glitches. The EV earthquake from Tesla’s price cuts is still reverberating, and it will be inte...

Summary The latest December U.S. retail sales surprised observers as the headline index shows sales were weaker than already-weak expectations for December. On a month-over-month basis, many categories struggled across the board. Shoppers spent less on vehicles, gasoline and furniture. ...