The Retail Sector May Withstand More Tariff And Trade Turbulence, Analysts Say

Worries about increased tariffs are pushing stocks down across the board on Monday, and retail is no exception, with renewed investor fears about how this trade-sensitive sector would fare if the next round of duties is imposed after previous delays. The Back Story. The SPDR S&P Retail ETF hasn’t quite kept pace with the market in 2019, but it has risen nearly 11% and held fairly steady this year. However, as we saw in 2018, the retail revival has proven fragile, and easily dampened by various worries, from economic growth to trade, even as consumer confidence remains near record highs amid low unemployment. The concerns about trade are understandable though: Many retailers’ supply chains include China, while still others are counting on the country’s emerging middle class to provide the next leg up in sales growth. Read more at Barron’s.