Displaying items by tag: defensive

(New York)

Whether we like it or not, a recession is likely headed our way. Industrial numbers are waning, and even consumer data is getting weaker. So assuming we have a recession, where is the best place to hide? A couple suggestions today. How about materials stocks, whicg have been on a tear this year, up 50% or more. Check out Vulcan Materials and Martin Marietta Materials, which specialize in gravel, sand, and crushed stone. Materials stocks, like garbage-disposal companies, are quite recession resistant.

FINSUM: These stocks are pricey right now, but the demand for them seems likely to stay high if the economy keeps trending downward.

(New York)

There are a lot of retirees, or near retirees, who have not had to navigate real market volatility for around a decade. And as any retiree knows, high volatility in or at retirement is a very scary prospect. However, there are ways to navigate it. Some tips including keeping a cash buffer, going bargain hunting in the market to find undervalued stocks, and re-evaluating stock exposure. Rotating into sectors that do well in downturns, like consumer staples, healthcare etc, can also be smart.

FINSUM: This is good advice. That said, the US may not be headed into a really bad economic and market scenario, so it may not be wise to get too defensive.

(New York)

Goldman Sachs put out a bearish article today that is calling for the tail end of this bull market. The bank thinks the rest of this year is going to be a dud and that PE multiples will not rise above 17. Therefore, they are suggesting a group of stocks that can thrive in such an environment. Here is a selection of 10 of their 20 choices: Texas Instruments, VeriSign, Gilead Sciences, Abbvie, Amgen, Starbucks, Lam Research, AT&T, Foot Locker, HanesBrands.

FINSUM: Appears like there are a lot of defensive stocks in this basket, which seems like a good plan for a sideways or bearish market.

(New York)

Goldman Sachs is sending a big warning to the market, but in its own way, of course. The bank’s strategy team has just published a new note telling investors to get “defensive” given the high uncertainty surrounding the market next year. The bank is uncertain about the direction of the stocks, but is leaning towards them either rising or gaining significantly, with a middle ground seeming less likely than usual. Institutional investors are worried that a recession will arrive in 2020, and historically speaking, the market usually falls by more than 10% in the year preceding such a downturn.

FINSUM: That last point raises the interesting question of whether the recession will arrive in 2019 and this is the 10%+ downturn preceding it. That would actually be better than Goldman’s take.

(New York)

The world may be on the verge of a recession and a bear market, or maybe not. But either way, investors need to think about the possibility and have a plan for how to handle it if it comes. With that in mind, some experts have weighed in on the topic. T. Rowe Price says that in a downturn, investors need to buy more emerging markets and hold less bank loans. Charles Schwab thinks investors need to get more defensive, moving out of growth stocks and into defensive sectors, like healthcare. Northern Trust is more benign and does not see big changes coming to the market or economy.

FINSUM: If the economy really goes south, we think the market will go with it, which means defensive sectors would be a good bet. We imagine the Dollar would stay strong and yields would be lower, so income investments could shine(which also happen to be quite defensive).