Thursday, May 15, 2014

Climate Change and Stocks

Because of the weather this year many retailers like Walmart (WMT) who’s price got hammered today have missed their earnings estimates and have caused the market to be extremely volatile.  If there’s one reason to pay attention to climate change it’s because of the effects on the market.  With heavier storms called for in the future there will be fewer opportunities for consumers to make it out to brick and mortar stores especially during the holidays.  One way to play this market situation is to invest in online retailers and delivery services.  Amazon is of course the largest online retailer but there are other companies like Ebay (EBAY).  Some of the delivery services to pay attention to are of course Fed Ex (FDX) and UPS.

The key is to look for bargains.  Look at companies who have an active and extensive online offering.  This is a good indication that they are making money from their online store.  You of course have to do due diligence and see what the PEG and EPS ratios are and pay attention to the trend and the price overtime.  I would also look at the management and maybe even Google some of the management team to see how they have fared over the years.  If a company is well managed, has a strong PEG ratio, and an active online presence then consider it a bargain.


You can also do the contrarian play and short big box retail stores like Walmart (WMT) and Target (TGT) but be careful.  If the companies you are looking at are making the necessary changes to increase their online sales and using alternative delivery services, then it’s not a good bet to go against them.  





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