Consumer Staples

The previous Insight showed that macro forces were shifting in favor of a trough in the brutal backdrop for hypermarkets sales. Even if the latter are slow to recover, there is scope for positive profit margin surprises in the coming quarters. The massive U.S. dollar appreciation has invigorated the retailing industry's largest buying group's purchasing power. It would be highly unusual for operating margins not to expand on the back of currency strength. Keep in mind that varying lags exist between currency swings and their impact on profitability, given long-term contracts and hedges. Consequently, the recent currency depreciation does not mean the window for margin improvement has closed. Other sources of reduced cost inflation exist. For instance, the cost of goods sold should benefit from deflation in transportation costs. Asian manufacturers are also in full inventory liquidation mode, which suggests little upward pressure on imported consumer goods prices, despite the recent U.S. dollar dip. These factors will support margins. Adding it all up, on a cyclical basis, hypermarkets are well positioned to produce better-than-market returns and we recommend upping weightings to above-benchmark on price weakness. The ticker symbols for the stocks in this index are: BLBG: S5HYPC - WMT, COST. bca.uses_in_2016_04_12_002_c1 bca.uses_in_2016_04_12_002_c1

Hypermarkets are off their relative performance lows, despite the rebound in the broad market. That is a solid showing for a defensive industry that has been in the doldrums for more than three years. It is easy to understand why underperformance has been so stark. Sales growth has been abysmal. Deflation has rocked the retailing sector. It is hard for earnings to grow sustainably without sales gains, particularly in a low margin, high turnover business. But there are signs that the worst is over. Retail deflation has passed through its most intense phase. The pickup in overall income growth suggests that the average consumer will have more disposable income, which has often been a reliable indication of sales and profit turning points. When the personal savings rate rises and overall consumption growth cools, hypermarkets benefit (top and bottom panels). Fading federal income tax growth reinforces that consumers are unlikely to soon 'trade up' to shop at higher ticket stores (middle panel, taxes shown inverted). Even if sales growth is slow to regain traction, hypermarkets have room to improve profitability, please see the next Insight. The ticker symbols for the stocks in this index are: BLBG: S5HYPC - WMT, COST. (Part I) Hypermarkets: Time To Buy Into Weakness (Part I) Hypermarkets: Time To Buy Into Weakness

A lack of confirming growth indicators puts the equity advance at risk. Lift hypermarkets to overweight, stick with homebuilders and fade any small and/or mid cap relative strength.

The Fed's recent dovishness represents an acknowledgement of the feedback loop between Fed policy and financial conditions. Expect Fed hawkishness to ramp back up prior to the next rate hike, likely in June.

The Fed's recent dovishness represents an acknowledgement of the feedback loop between Fed policy and financial conditions. Expect Fed hawkishness to ramp back up prior to the next rate hike, likely in June.

While high-beta equity areas have rebounded smartly in recent trading sessions, we remain skeptical that earnings-follow through will be forthcoming. Instead, our portfolio remains defensively-geared, where profit support is strongest. For instance, the latest manufacturing data showed that pharmaceutical shipments continue to boom, underscoring that top-line momentum has started on a strong foot in the first quarter. That bodes well for pharmaceutical relative performance. Elsewhere, beverage shipments have also soared on a growth rate basis, sending a similar upbeat message for the S&P soft drink index. Importantly, pricing power remains solid in both industries, underscoring that the surge in manufacturer shipments likely remains demand-driven. We reiterate our overweight position in both indexes. Defensive Industry Earnings Are On A Positive Path Defensive Industry Earnings Are On A Positive Path

The retail drug store industry is enjoying a twin boost from both bullish cyclical and secular forces. The latter is reflected in the long-term advance in personal outlays at pharmacies, which likely reflects increased drug demand as a consequence of an aging population. From a cyclical perspective, the surge in health care sector hiring activity reflects increased health coverage and rising patient volumes. That is a boon for drug demand, and is consistent with rising store traffic. As a result, pharmacies should be able to continue lifting selling prices at a rapid clip, despite deep deflation in the overall corporate sector. The upshot is ongoing productivity gains, as measured by sales/employee, should support robust earnings performance and a relative valuation re-rating. Stay with a high-conviction overweight. The ticker symbols for the stocks in this index are: WBA, CVS. bca.uses_in_2016_02_26_001_c1 bca.uses_in_2016_02_26_001_c1

The defensive consumer staples sector in general, and the soft drinks sub-group in particular, have outperformed smartly of late. Widespread improvement in key soft drink earnings drivers signal additional upside potential. Beverage consumption is outpacing overall PCE, and low energy prices continue to paint a vibrant demand backdrop. Beverage selling prices have spiked, and are rising faster than overall measures of corporate sector pricing power. The upshot is that relative top line growth will expand in the coming quarters (middle panel). This stands in marked contrast with sell-side analysts, who are expecting a relative sales contraction of 180bps in the next 12 months (not shown). Importantly, the industry is enjoying the fruits of the carnage in the commodity pits, as cost relief has generated sizeable gross margin expansion. Rising margins typically lead to a valuation re-rating. We expect ongoing outperformance, despite the steep gains that have already accrued. Stay with a high-conviction overweight. The ticker symbols for the stocks in this index are: KO, PEP, MNST, DPS, CCE. Content bca.uses_in_2016_02_11_001_c1 bca.uses_in_2016_02_11_001_c1 Content

Household product stocks are gathering momentum relative to the broad market. We expect this trend to persist as profit margins slowly improve. The industry has undergone a forced retrenchment as a consequence of the strong U.S. dollar, which sapped top-line growth. However, both commodity input and labor costs are contracting, providing much needed profit margin relief. The chart shows that operating margins have significant upside, especially if revenue improves even modestly. On this front, the plunge in commodity prices is freeing up disposable income to spend on brand-name essentials: consumer spending on toiletries is outpacing overall consumption for the first time in years. Moreover, Asian real retail sales are still growing at a robust rate, signaling that any emerging market currency stability should translate into better top-line performance. We reiterate our overweight position. The ticker symbols for the stocks in this index are: PG, CL, KMB, CLX, CHD. bca.uses_in_2016_01_27_001_c1 bca.uses_in_2016_01_27_001_c1