What Is Consumer Discretionary? Definition in Economic Indicators

Investors seeking long-term growth with managed volatility tend to balance their portfolios with a mix of cyclical stocks and defensive stocks. When picking mutual funds or ETFs for your portfolio, strive for fxchoice review diversification in your choice of stocks from the sectors and sub-sectors. When investors suspect that the economy is headed for a decline, many begin to pad their portfolios with defensive sector funds.

1. Both consumer discretionary and consumer staples sectors have an index of their respective stocks on the S&P 500, and each has an ETF that mirrors their performance.
2. And with the Stash Smart Portfolio™, you get automated investing tailored to your goals.
3. In other words, rather than having to buy these products because they are necessities, they have the freedom to decide—the discretion—to purchase them, or not.
4. The consumer staples sector is one of the stock market’s 11 sectors and is sometimes called the consumer defensive sector.
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Companies engaged in the manufacturing of food, beverages, household and personal products, packaging, or tobacco. Also includes companies that provide services such as education & training services. Defensive stocks are also known as noncyclical stocks because they are not highly correlated with the business pepperstone broker cycle. Trading at roughly a 40% discount to our fair value estimate, Tyson’s shares are on sale while offering a 4% dividend yield. Despite inflationary headwinds and challenges in the beef and pork segments, we don’t see any structural changes to meat markets that warrant a permanent change to profitability.

However, increased competition from new drugs and uncertainty surrounding regulations mean that they aren’t as defensive as they once were. Transparency is how we protect the integrity of our work and keep empowering investors to achieve their goals and dreams. And we have unwavering standards for how we keep that integrity intact, from our research and data to our policies on content and your personal data. We believe Estee Lauder’s shares are attractive, trading at around a 30% discount to our $200 fair value estimate. Although a slow travel retail recovery in China has impaired demand and margins, we remain constructive on the firm’s long-term prospects. Further, we believe it is poised to benefit from secular premiumization trends across developed and emerging markets.

What stocks are in the consumer staples sector?

Consumers can be fickle and buying patterns are driven as much by how we feel about the state of the economy as they are by the actual conditions. As such, companies in this sector may have more trouble than others sustaining sales and earnings when prevailing winds shift. Finder.com is an independent comparison platform canadian forex brokers and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which finder.com receives compensation. We may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services.

These are known as consumer staples, also referred to as consumer defensive. It might be a meal at a restaurant, some new clothes, a new video game system or maybe even a weekend getaway. They are all examples of what’s called consumer discretionary spending, and investing in this sector — through stocks, Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) and mutual funds — can sometimes be a powerful way to tap into economic upswings. The performance of consumer cyclicals is highly related to the state of the economy. They represent goods and services that are not considered necessities but discretionary purchases.

Some companies may look like they fit into a discretionary category, but technically don’t, such as Apple (AAPL), which falls under the Information Technology sector’s consumer hardware industry. It is nonetheless closely tied to the health of the economy and consumer spending trends. You could even argue that Apple offers a consumer staple, given how much we rely on our phones these days.

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“Defensive” stocks can be found in many industries if the firm has strong earnings, innovation, pricing power, and a track record of disrupting the status quo. We believe this is particularly critical, as we anticipate a more benign pricing environment in the near term after multiple rounds of price hikes to offset inflationary pressures in recent years. Apartment real estate investment trusts (REITs) are also deemed defensive, as people always need shelter.

Another metric to watch is the Consumer Price Index, which measures the rate of inflation. In the near term, high inflation tends to drive discretionary stocks because it inflates asset values. Having said that, high inflation has historically triggered interest rate hikes that cool the economy and restrict consumer spending. Companies whose stocks are cyclical include car manufacturers, airlines, furniture retailers, clothing stores, hotels, and restaurants. When the economy is doing well, people can afford to buy new cars, upgrade their homes, shop, and travel. When the economy does poorly, these discretionary expenses are some of the first things consumers cut.

Many investors may consider buying into the consumer discretionary sector, or its individual stocks, right after a recession ends. This can be an inflection point when consumers begin to have the confidence to spend more freely again. In good economic times, consumer discretionary companies tend to do well, as people open their cash-flush wallets to spend their dollars on big-ticket entertainment, travel and consumer electronics.

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Ultimately, we contend operators that continuously direct resources toward their brands should stay top of mind with consumers and retailers in the long term, blunting any lasting trade down to lower-priced private label options. Third-party sites may have different Privacy and Security policies than TD Bank Group. You should review the Privacy and Security policies of any third-party website before you provide personal or confidential information.

Investors also need to be aware that most investment managers have no choice but to own stocks. If they think times are going to be harder than usual, they will migrate toward defensive stocks. Stash does not represent in any manner that the circumstances described herein will result in any particular outcome. While the data and analysis Stash uses from third party sources is believed to be reliable, Stash does not guarantee the accuracy of such information. Nothing in this article should be considered as a solicitation or offer, or recommendation, to buy or sell any particular security or investment product or to engage in any investment strategy. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission.

Lower sales can lead to worsening economic conditions and greater economic contraction. When an economy is growing, it is usually expected that consumers will have more disposable income to spend on discretionary items. By contrast, if you spread your money among funds in the healthcare, consumer staples, utilities, and telecommunications sectors, you can enjoy greater diversification. In turn, you would reduce—but not eliminate—the amount of loss you might experience in your portfolio if one defensive industry were to decline. That is because not all of these industries will go up or down in price under the same types of economic conditions. Defensive sector funds are mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that invest in companies in recession-proof industries.

Stash assumes no obligation to provide notifications of changes in any factors that could affect the information provided. This information should not be relied upon by the reader as research or investment advice regarding any issuer or security in particular. The strategies discussed are strictly for illustrative and educational purposes and should not be construed as a recommendation to purchase or sell, or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security.