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3 Funds to Buy on a Solid Rebound in Retail Sales

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The holiday season has started and the retail sector is expected to gain, with sales already showing signs of improvement. The retail sector has been under pressure for several months, as soaring prices have kept people from spending lavishly.

However, despite the inflationary pressures, higher demand is driving sales, which saw the retail sector make a solid rebound in October. Thus, funds like Fidelity Select Consumer Staples Portfolio (FDFAX - Free Report) , Fidelity Advisor Consumer Staples Fund Class A (FDAGX - Free Report) and Fidelity Select Retailing Portfolio (FSRPX - Free Report) are likely to benefit in the near term.

Retail Sales Bounce Back

Retail sales rose a solid 1.3% in October after coming in flat in the prior month, the Commerce Department said on Nov 16. Economists had expected retail sales to increase 1%. On a year-over-year basis, retail sales jumped 8.3%.

A number of factors contributed to the impressive jump in October retail sales. Sales got a boost from the holiday season shopping, which kicked off a bit earlier than usual. Motor vehicles were a major factor in driving sales.

In October, receipts at auto dealers saw a strong 1.3% increase. Sales of furniture increased 1%, while the sole service sector — bars and restaurants — saw a 1.6% increase in sales. Rising commodity prices have been slowing retail sales but high demand for goods has prevented the sector from succumbing to inflationary pressures.

The October retail sale report came just days after data showed that the cost of living eased somewhat in October. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for October rose 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. This is significantly lower than the 8.2% rise in September.

Headline inflation rose 0.4% in October, beating expectations of 0.6%. Core CPI in October rose 0.3% month over month and 6.3% from the year-ago period, which also beat expectations.

The holiday season has begun and sales are expected to get a further push. Holiday retail sales are expected to increase 6% to 8% from last year, according to the National Retail Federation. The NRF anticipates a rise of $942.6 billion to $960.4 billion in Christmas retail sales. Although the projection is lower than last year it is higher than the 10-year average of 4.9%.

3 Best Choices

We have selected three mutual funds with significant exposure to the retail sector that carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and are poised to gain from the above factors. Moreover, these funds have encouraging three and five-year returns. Additionally, the minimum initial investment is within $5000.

We expect these funds to outperform their peers in the future. Remember, the goal of the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank is to guide investors to identify potential winners and losers. Unlike most fund-rating systems, the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank is not just focused on past performance but also the likely future success of the fund.

The question here is: why should investors consider mutual funds? Reduced transaction costs and diversification of portfolio without several commission charges that are associated with stock purchases are primarily why one should be parking money in mutual funds (read more: Mutual Funds: Advantages, Disadvantages, and How They Make Investors Money).

Fidelity Select Consumer Staples Portfolio fund aims for capital growth. FDFAX invests the majority of assets in securities of companies primarily engaged in manufacturing, marketing or distribution of consumer staples products. Fidelity Select Consumer Staples Portfolio fund invests in both U.S. and non-U.S. issuers.

Fidelity Select Consumer Staples Portfolio has a history of positive total returns for more than 10 years. Specifically, FDFAX has returned 8.5% and 7.4% over the past three and five years, respectively. To see how this fund performed compared to its category, and other 1 and 2 Ranked Mutual Funds, please click here.

FDFAX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #2 and an annual expense ratio of 0% versus the category average of 0.76%.

Fidelity Advisor Consumer Staples Fund Class A aims for capital growth. FDAGX invests the majority of its assets in securities of companies that manufacture and market consumer staples products. Fidelity Advisor Consumer Staples Fund Class A primarily invests in common stocks of companies.

Fidelity Advisor Consumer Staples Fund Class A has a history of positive total returns for more than 10 years. Specifically, FDAGX has returned nearly 8.2% and 7.1% over the past three and five-year periods, respectively. To see how this fund performed compared in its category, and other 1 and 2 Ranked Mutual Funds, please click here.

FDAGX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #2 and an annual expense ratio of 0%, which is below the category average of 0.76%.

Fidelity Select Retailing Portfolio fund aims for capital appreciation. FSRPX invests a large portion of its assets in the common stock of companies engaged in merchandising finished goods and services, primarily to individual consumers.

Fidelity Select Retailing Portfolio has a history of positive total returns for more than 10 years. Specifically, FSRPX has returned nearly 7.5% and nearly 12% over the past three and five-year periods, respectively. To see how this fund performed compared to its category, and other 1 and 2 Ranked Mutual Funds, please click here.

FSRPX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1 and an annual expense ratio of 0.73%, which is below the category average of 0.79%.

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