Yahoo Finance Why Furniture Stocks Have the Most to Lose from Trump's Latest Tariffs
The White House on Wednesday announced that it plans to impose additional tariffs of 10% on $200 billion worth of Chinese exports, intensifying the trade war with China.
This new round of tariffs follows very shortly after the 25% tariffs that went into effect against $34 billion of Chinese goods last Friday. Even though this new tariff wouldn’t hit for at least two months, it would affect a number of products, including key consumer goods, which could potentially result in a much stronger reaction against the trade dispute.
The Target
The tariff that went into effect last Friday mainly applied to raw materials, and only 1% of the items on the list were consumer goods. This round, things are a bit different.
The targeted consumer products include fish, luggage, tires, dog leashes, handbags, baseball gloves, electronics, apparel, mattresses, and furniture.
Furniture Companies and Stocks
In response to the new tariff plan, Goldman Sachs analyst Matthew Fassler said, “The biggest negative surprise for our covered consumer sector vs. our economists’ prior expectations relates to furniture.”
According to Fassler, 65% of furniture imported into the US is from China. Home furnishing giants such as Restoration Holdings RH, Williams-Sonoma WSM, At Home Group HOME and Wayfair W are all at risk here.
RH, for example, imports as much as 77% of its dollar volume from Asia, in which the majority is from China. As 40% of its cost of goods sold is from China, with the new tariff, its gross margin would decrease.
If other home furnishing companies have similar costs, they would all be hit by similar decreases in their gross margins.
Bottom Line
After the White House made its announcement, the S&P 500 index lost 14 points, or 0.5 percent, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 144 points, or 0.6 percent. The Nasdaq composite fell 43 points, or 0.6 percent.
Beijing responded to Trump by saying it will seek retaliatory action, though it didn’t detail what its measures would entail.
Although it is unclear exactly how the furniture makers will respond to this tariff, they are surely in an unfavorable situation as a whole. Investors should keep an eye out on these stocks, along with those of other targeted companies.
More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!
It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market.
Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020.
Click here for the 6 trades >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Wayfair Inc. (W) : Free Stock Analysis Report
At Home Group Inc. (HOME) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc. (RH) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
