COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown has disrupted daily lives – from the closing of schools and work to going out to socialize. The impact of the coronavirus has all but shut down commercial business and social functions across the nation and around the world. As the pandemic begins to subside there will be fallouts that will be felt for many years and possibly decades to come. Some businesses and industries will fail, while others will never be the same again.
Although the recent government bailout money will help some consumers and industries, many more consumers and businesses will likely default on their mortgages and loans. Energy, Consumer Discretionary, Industrials, select Financials, and Real Estate are likely to feel the brunt of the destructive force of the coronavirus for many years.
The above sectors and industries may be vulnerable to further volatility. Clients with large positions within these sectors and industries may want to review their portfolios and rebalance their overall risks. It is especially important to pay close attention to industries that have consistently underperformed their benchmarks (i.e., SPX and COMPQ) and those that are currently trading in bear market territories as they may be secular/structural laggards.
Attached are potential lagging industries ranked by percentage change over the past three (3) months. The SCTR rankings are also provided to show the relative technical conditions of the industries against peers.
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