3 Bank Stocks with Open Questions
A cautious approach is imperative when dabbling in banks as many are sensitive to interest rate changes and economic cycles. With that said, here are three bank stocks we're passing on.
Market Cap: $17.71 billion
Tracing its roots back to 1849 during the California Gold Rush era, KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) operates KeyBank, a full-service regional bank providing retail and commercial banking, wealth management, and investment services across 15 states.
Why Are We Wary of KEY?
Net interest income stagnated over the last four years and signal the need for new growth strategies
Overall productivity fell over the last four years as its plummeting sales were accompanied by a degrading efficiency ratio
Earnings per share decreased by more than its revenue over the last five years, showing each sale was less profitable
KeyCorp is trading at $16.15 per share, or 1.1x forward P/B. If you're considering KEY for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.
Market Cap: $2.22 billion
Tracing its roots back to 1863 during the Civil War era, First Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ:FFBC) is a bank holding company that provides commercial banking, lending, deposit services, and wealth management to individuals and businesses.
Why Are We Cautious About FFBC?
Muted 4% annual revenue growth over the last two years shows its demand lagged behind its bank peers
Estimated net interest income growth of 1.2% for the next 12 months implies demand will slow from its four-year trend
Annual tangible book value per share growth of 4.7% over the last five years was below our standards for the bank sector
At $23.15 per share, First Financial Bancorp trades at 0.8x forward P/B. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than FFBC.
Market Cap: $1.46 billion
Founded during the Roaring Twenties in 1926 and headquartered in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, Columbia Financial (NASDAQ:CLBK) operates federally chartered savings banks in New Jersey that offer traditional banking services including loans, deposits, and insurance products.
Why Do We Avoid CLBK?
Net interest income tumbled by 4.9% annually over the last four years, showing market trends are working against its favor during this cycle
Concessions to defend its market share have ramped up over the last two years as its net interest margin decreased by 94.7 basis points (100 basis points = 1 percentage point)
Falling earnings per share over the last five years has some investors worried as stock prices ultimately follow EPS over the long term
Columbia Financial's stock price of $13.90 implies a valuation ratio of 1.3x forward P/B. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why CLBK doesn't pass our bar.
The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump's presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025.
While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we're homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver's seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 5 Growth Stocks for this month. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025).
Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Kadant (+351% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
3 Dividend Stocks to Hold for the Next 20 Years
Key Points General Mills is offering a historically high yield backed by a powerful and diversified food business. PepsiCo is a Dividend King with a high yield and iconic global brands. Hershey makes an affordable luxury that people will be willing to pay up for. 10 stocks we like better than PepsiCo › Remember one thing when you consider consumer staples makers: You "need" the products they sell. That's particularly true when it comes to food-focused consumer staples companies like General Mills (NYSE: GIS), PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP), and Hershey (NYSE: HSY). Here's why each one of these dividend stocks is worth buying and holding for 20 years, or more, right now. 1. General Mills is shifting with the times General Mills makes food products like cereal, snack bars, pet food, and baking products. It owns a collection of brand names that you likely know well, including Blue Buffalo and Cheerios. The brands and products it sells are staples in grocery stores and in consumer cupboards. It's highly unlikely that General Mills will suddenly go out of business anytime soon. That said, right now the company is facing some headwinds. Consumer buying habits are shifting, and some buyers are pulling back on spending. That has left General Mills' financial results weak. Sales and earnings fell year over year in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. The company's fiscal 2026 outlook was a bit weak, too. But management is doing what it can to adjust, including changing formulations to match current trends, adjusting its brand and product portfolio, and trying to keep a lid on costs. These are the right moves and, in time, they will likely lead to General Mills getting back on track. It always has in the past. While General Mills' stock is out of favor, you can buy it at an attractive 4.8% yield. That's near the highest levels in the company's history. If you like income and think long term, General Mills should probably be on your buy list today. 2. PepsiCo has industry-leading brands General Mills is a good company with industry-leading brands, but PepsiCo's brands stand out even more. It's the No. 2 beverage company and the No. 1 salty snack maker. It also makes packaged food products that compete with companies like General Mills. The problem for PepsiCo is that customer tastes are shifting, and it is out of step with its customers. The company is working on the issue -- it recently bought a Mexican-American food business and a probiotic beverage company. Both are more in line with current trends. Sure, PepsiCo's recent financial results aren't that great, and they lag those of its closest peers. It's OK -- that happens even to well-run businesses. PepsiCo didn't achieve Dividend King status by accident, and it has muddled through hard times before. It's highly likely that it will do so again. In the meantime, you can collect a historically high 3.9% dividend yield. If the dividend history here is any guide, you'll end up a long-term winner if you're willing to step in while the rest of Wall Street is selling. 3. Hershey's cocoa problem makes it hard to love Hershey is the most difficult story to appreciate here for two reasons. First, while it makes food, the most important product it sells is chocolate. That's not a necessity, even though people love the affordable indulgence. Second, the biggest headwind for the business is a shocking rise in the price of cocoa, a key ingredient in chocolate. Cocoa comes from trees, so it could take some time before high prices lead to changes in the industry. That's why investors have sold Hershey stock hard, leading to a historically high 2.9% dividend yield. Just how bad is it? Despite increasing prices and the expectation of sales growth in 2025, Hershey is projecting rising costs to lead to a roughly mid-30% drop in earnings in 2025. And given the nature of cocoa, the pain could linger for a bit. There's a good reason why investors are negative on the stock. But if you can stomach some near-term uncertainty, the long-term picture is likely to be continued and growing demand for the affordable luxuries that Hershey sells. You need and want what they make It is hard to suggest that chocolate, soda, or cereal are life necessities. You can certainly eat and drink other things. But these consumer staples giants have long delivered the food items that people want to buy. That will be just as true in one year as it is in 10 years or 20 years. The headwinds they face today aren't likely to change anything about the nature of these businesses, even if the companies do need to adjust to better align with current trends. The truth is that they've all done that many times before. Given the historically high yields on offer from General Mills, PepsiCo, and Hershey, buying and holding for decades is probably a good call for even the most conservative dividend investors today. Do the experts think PepsiCo is a buy right now? The Motley Fool's expert analyst team, drawing on years of investing experience and deep analysis of thousands of stocks, leverages our proprietary Moneyball AI investing database to uncover top opportunities. They've just revealed their to buy now — did PepsiCo make the list? When our Stock Advisor analyst team has a stock recommendation, it can pay to listen. After all, Stock Advisor's total average return is up 1,036% vs. just 181% for the S&P — that is beating the market by 855.09%!* Imagine if you were a Stock Advisor member when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $625,254!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,090,257!* The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 29, 2025 Reuben Gregg Brewer has positions in General Mills, Hershey, and PepsiCo. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Hershey. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 3 Dividend Stocks to Hold for the Next 20 Years was originally published by The Motley Fool
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump sacks US data chief after terrible jobs numbers
Donald Trump has sacked America's top statistician after official data showed a sharp slowdown in the US jobs market. The US President said he had directed his team to sack Erika McEntarfer 'IMMEDIATELY' after a data release that suggested the US economy is performing much worse than thought. America's Bureau of Labor Statistics confirmed to The Telegraph on Friday afternoon that the Commissioner of Labor Statistics has had her position terminated. Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski will now serve as Acting Commissioner. The US created just 73,000 new jobs in July, far less than the 110,000 economists expected, while the figures for May and June were slashed by 258,000 combined. In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said: 'I was just informed that our Country's 'Jobs Numbers' are being produced by a Biden Appointee, Dr Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, who faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala's chances of Victory. 'We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified.' Stock markets tumbled following the data. The S&P 500 plunged by 1.7pc, the Dow by 1.5pc and the Nasdaq by 2.3pc. The unemployment rate rose to 4.2pc, up from 4.1pc the previous month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Across the three month period from May to July, average monthly jobs growth was just 35,000. This was less than a third of the 134,000 previously expected. Mr Trump also pushed blame towards Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell, who Mr Trump has been repeatedly criticising for keeping interest rates high. Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social after the jobs figures were released: 'Too Little, Too Late. Jerome 'Too Late' Powell is a disaster. DROP THE RATE!' Meanwhile, Federal Reserve Governor Adriana Kugler announced on Friday that she is stepping down five months early in a move that paves the way for Mr Trump to appoint the next Fed Chair in waiting to the board. Ms Kugler, whose term was due to expire in January 2026, sent a letter to the president saying she would be stepping down on Aug 8. In her letter to Mr Trump, Ms Kugler said she was 'proud to have tackled this role with integrity' and praised Mr Powell 'for his unwavering commitment to the Federal Reserve and the American people'. Her departure brings forward Mr Trump's opportunity to appoint his pick for the next Fed chair to the board, before Mr Powell's term as chair expires next May. Her move comes after two members of the board, Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, dissented against Mr Powell at the Fed's rate decision on Wednesday and voted for an interest rate cut, in line with Mr Trump's repeated demands for lower interest rates. This was the largest number of governor dissents since 1993. 05:28 PM BST Stocks rocked by tariffs and weak US jobs data The FTSE 100 sank on Friday after Donald Trump announced tariffs on dozens of trading partners, and weak US jobs data fuelled concerns as to the strength of the US economy. The FTSE 100 index closed down 0.7pc, at 9,068.58. The FTSE 250 closed 1.2pc lowe, at 21,699.34, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.6pc, at 757.16. For the week, the FTSE 100 fell 0.6pc, the FTSE 250 was down 1.9pc and the AIM All-Share lost 2.6pc. Thanks for joining us on this blog. That's all for today. 05:01 PM BST Trump's latest tariffs could cause global rate cuts, says economist Donald Trump's decision to impose the steepest American tariffs since the 1930s could fuel interest rate cuts globally, a former Indian central bank governor has said. Raghuram Rajan, who was also chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, told Bloomberg TV: 'For the rest of the world, this is a serious demand shock. 'You will see a lot of central banks contemplating cutting as the rest of the world slows somewhat in the face of these tariffs.' 04:40 PM BST Court battle won't derail trade war, says Trump official Attempts to derail Donald Trump's trade war in the courts are doomed to failure, the top US trade negotiator has suggested. Jamieson Greer, the US trade representative, told Bloomberg Television: 'The reality is, the countries understand the type of leverage that President Trump has created. That's why they're doing these deals, and they're going to stick regardless of what happened in litigation.' Referring to a legal case objecting to Mr Trump's use of emergency powers to impose the tariffs, he said he feels 'very confident in the case'. He added: 'I'm not going to go deep into our strategy here, mostly because we're pretty confident on the current plan, but we will do whatever it takes to make sure that the president can continue to rectify the trade deficit and change the global trading system.' 04:12 PM BST Inflation still more concerning than unemployment, says US rate setter The risk of high inflation is a 'much greater' than the risk to employment, Raphael Bostic, the Atlantic Fed president, has said. He told CNBC that there is still a lot of strength in the labour market. 'I am still not hearing from businesses that they're on the verge of letting go a lot of people,' he said. 04:09 PM BST Fed dissenters say worsening jobs market behind their vote The two Federal Reserve governors who favoured an interest rate cut this week have said they did so largely due to rising concerns about the job market. Michelle Bowman said: 'With economic growth slowing this year and signs of a less dynamic labour market, I saw it as appropriate to begin gradually moving our moderately restrictive policy stance toward a neutral setting. 'In my view, this action would have proactively hedged against a further weakening in the economy and the risk of damage to the labour market.' Christopher Waller said separately that 'with underlying inflation near target and the upside risks to inflation limited, we should not wait until the labour market deteriorates before we cut'. Mr Waller added: 'I believe that the wait-and-see approach is overly cautious, and, in my opinion, does not properly balance the risks to the outlook and could lead to policy falling behind the curve.' 04:02 PM BST Global stock markets in the red after Trump tariff move Donald Trump's latest wave of tariffs on exports from dozens of trading partners sent global stock markets tumbling today. As Trump pressed ahead with plans for the highest tariff rates since the early 1930s, Switzerland, 'stunned' by 39pc tariffs, sought more talks, as did India, hit with a 25pc rate. New tariffs also include a 35pc duty on many goods from Canada, 50pc for Brazil, 20pc for Taiwan. Taiwan said its rate was 'temporary' and it expected to reach a lower figure. Global shares stumbled, with Europe's Stoxx 600 down 1.9pc on the day and was on track for its biggest weekly drop since Mr Trump announced his first major wave of tariffs on April 2. The FTSE 100 is down 0.8pc, while Germany's Dax dropped 2.3pc and France's Cac 30 lost 2.8pc. Wall Street has also spent the afternoon sharply down, with the Nasdaq losing 2.1pc, the S&P 500 dropping 1.6pc and the Dow Jones falling 1.3pc. 03:56 PM BST US jobs slowdown caused by Trump tariffs, investment giant says Donald Trump's trade war is responsible for the fall in jobs being created in the US, an S&P 500-listed investment manager has said. Blerina Uruci, chief US economist for T Rowe Price, said: 'There was a clear, significant, immediate, tariff effect on the labour market and employment growth essentially stalled, as we were dealing with so much uncertainty about the outlook for the economy and for tariffs.' 03:42 PM BST Cost of US government borrowing falls as markets bet on rate cut The cost of US government borrowing fell this afternoon after markets dramatically increased bets on a September interest rate cut. The yield (effectively the interest rate) on 10-year US Treasury notes fell to 4.251pc from 4.375pc yesterday. Shorter-term two-year notes fell to 3.758pc from 3.964pc yesterday. Currently markets suggest there is an 84.4pc change of a September rate cut, up from 39.5pc yesterday. 'What had looked like a Teflon labour market showed some scratches [today], as tariffs continue to work their way through the economy,' said Ellen Zentner, chief economic strategist for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. 'A Fed that still appeared hesitant to lower rates may see a clearer path to a September cut, especially if data over the next month confirms the trend.' 03:29 PM BST US manufacturing contracts for fifth month in a row America's manufacturing sector shrank again in July as Donald Trump attempts to boost the sector with tariffs. Figures from the Institute for Supply Management showed that the decline in manufacturing accelerated last month. Susan Spence, of the ISM, said: 'The Manufacturing PMI [purchasing managers' index] registered 48pc in July, a 1 percentage point decrease compared to the 49pc recorded in June.' A score of below 50 indicates a contraction. During his election campaign, Mr Trump promised a 'manufacturing renaissance'. He said: 'Under my plan, American workers will no longer be worried about losing your jobs to foreign nations. Instead, foreign nations will be worried about losing their jobs to America'. 03:18 PM BST US central banker says Fed won't overreact to one day's data A rate-setter has said that the Fed should not overreact to today's jobs data. Beth Hammack, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, said the labour market looks healthy even though figures for new jobs were 'disappointing ... to be sure.' She told Bloomberg TV: 'We could see some weakening on the labour side. And if we see that, it would be something that we might want to respond to,' without overreacting to one day's data. 03:07 PM BST Trade war 'causing slower growth, hiring and investment' Donald Trump's trade war is discouraging employers from hiring people, an influential US think tank has warned. Scott Lincicome, a trade economist at the Cato Institute in Washington DC, said: 'At this point, it's impossible to determine the precise effects of US tariffs on the labour market – the US economy is massive, dynamic, and services-oriented, so tariffs on imported goods might not have a large, direct, and immediate effect. 'But here's what we do know: US tariff rates and trade policy uncertainty are at historic highs, meaning not only hundreds of billions of dollars in new taxes being paid mainly by American companies and consumers but also more economic uncertainty and slower growth, hiring and investment than would otherwise occur. 'And we've seen a recent slew of economic data confirming that this economic gravity does, indeed, still exist.' 02:58 PM BST Trump's trade war is failing to 'bring jobs back home' Donald Trump's trade war is failing to bring manufacturing jobs 'back home' to the US, a leading economist has said. Julian Jessop, a fellow of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: 'Tariff uncertainty and the higher costs of imports are at least partly to blame for the slowdown in the US labour market. 'In particular, manufacturing lost another 11,000 jobs in July, making 37,000 in total in the past three months. So much for 'bringing jobs back home'!' 02:57 PM BST Dollar drops 1.1pc as fears grow over US economy The dollar fell on Friday after data showed that US employers added fewer jobs in July than economists had expected. Meanwhile, last month's jobs gains were revised sharply lower, leading traders to ramp up bets on how many times the Federal Reserve is likely to cut rates this year. 'It's worse than anyone expected and the kicker is that downward revision for the prior month too,' said Helen Given, director of trading at Money USA in Washington. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the pound and the euro, is down 1.09pc on the day at 98.94. 02:50 PM BST Wall Street plunges on trade war fears Wall Street opened sharply down this afternoon as new US tariffs on dozens of trading partners and Amazon's unimpressive earnings weighed on sentiment. Meanwhile a weaker jobs report added to worries. Hours ahead of the tariff deadline, President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing duties ranging from 10pc to 41pc on US imports from countries including Canada, Brazil, India and Taiwan. A US Labor Department report showed the American economy added only 73,000 jobs in July, pointing to a sharp moderation in the labour market amid trade uncertainties. The unemployment rate stood at 4.2pc, in line with expectations. 'This was a pretty disappointing report ... markets are getting a little bit more worried about the state of the labour market in the aftermath of today's report,' said BeiChen Lin, senior investment strategist at Russell Investments. The S&P 500 fell by 1.7pc, the Dow by 1.5pc and the Nasdaq by 2.2pc. The Vix, also known as Wall Street's fear gauge, jumped to a more than two-week high and is currently up 15.2pc. 02:47 PM BST Powell 'is going to regret holding rates steady' Jerome Powell will regret holding interest rates steady earlier this week, a financial planner has claimed. Jamie Cox, managing partner at Harris Financial Group in Virginia, said: 'Powell is going to regret holding rates steady this week. September is a lock for a rate cut and it might even be a [half a percentage] point move to make up the lost time. In a briefing on its rate decision, the Fed said: 'The unemployment rate remains low, and labour market conditions remain solid. Inflation remains somewhat elevated. 'The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2pc over the longer run. Uncertainty about the economic outlook remains elevated. The Committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate. 02:37 PM BST Bank predicts no US rate cuts despite hit to jobs market The world's oldest merchant bank has said that it still believes the Fed will avoid cutting rates at all this year. Atakan Bakiskan, US economist at Berenberg, said: 'The July US nonfarm payroll report provided some ammunition for those expecting a Fed rate cut in September. 'The -258,000 downward revisions to employment gains in May and June revealed that a highly uncertain macro environment and the highest tariff rates since the 1930s have taken a significant toll on the US job market. 'Considering the benchmark revisions set to take place in early 2026, the US economy may have actually shed jobs – supporting Fed Governor Waller's case for rate cuts. 'The narrative of a 'slow to hire, but slow to fire' labour market still seems to hold. Businesses are less eager to hire, but layoff rates remain near historical lows. 'With immigration growth easing, labour supply is expanding at a much slower pace this year. 'Combined with softening labour demand, this still points to a somewhat balanced job market. 'We still expect most Fed officials to avoid sending any dovish signals in the near term. 'In our view, the Fed is likely to keep rates on hold – not just in September, but for the remainder of the year. However, today's report presents a downside risk to our no-rate-cut call for 2025.' 02:32 PM BST Money markets increase bets on September rate cut Bets on a September US interest rate cut have surged this afternoon after new figures showed the jobs market had sharply fallen. Money markets believed there was just a 39.5pc probability that the Fed would lower rates yesterday, but this has now jumped to 86.2pc. 02:30 PM BST Trump steps up attack on Powell Donald Trump has lashed out again at Jerome Powell, the US Fed chairman, after the jobs market slowed sharply. He wrote on social media: 'Too Little, Too Late. Jerome 'Too Late' Powell is a disaster. DROP THE RATE!' 02:26 PM BST Trump's tariffs are an 'affront the rule of law', says think tank A British think tank has accused Donald Trump's trade war of being an 'affront' to the rule of law. Tom Clougherty, executive director of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: 'The madness continues in American trade policy. Trump's latest tariffs have no coherent economic rationale and are, first and foremost, an attack on American consumers. 'These tariffs are a massive tax increase which will harm American consumers and businesses. Ford, which manufactures more cars in America than anyone else, expects to pay $2bn in tariffs this year. 'But this is not really about economics. It is about punishing countries which displease the president, and rewarding those who toe the line. Using executive power in this way is an affront to liberal democracy and the rule of law. 'The British Government deserves some credit for its handling of the situation. But that doesn't change the fact that our trade with the United States is far less free than it was before President Trump was re-elected. 'Free trade remains an essential component of economic efficiency, international competitiveness, and rising living standards. Government-imposed trade barriers only ever enrich special interests: the rest of us bear the cost.' 02:24 PM BST US jobs market stalls as pressure builds for interest rate cut The US jobs market suffered a sharp slowdown last month as businesses battle higher costs and uncertainty from Donald Trump's tariff regime. Just 73,000 new jobs were added in July, far less than the 110,000 economists expected, figures published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) showed, while the unemployment rate rose to 4.2pc, up from 4.1pc the previous month. The data is likely to increase pressure on the Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell who has been facing growing calls from the US president to slash interest rates. Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social after the jobs figures were released: 'Too Little, Too Late. Jerome 'Too Late' Powell is a disaster. DROP THE RATE!' Earlier in the day Mr Trump has renewed his assault on the Federal Reserve chairman, calling him a 'stubborn MORON' after he kept interest rates at 4.5pc earlier this week. Massive downward revisions to jobs growth in May and June meant that across the three month period from May to July, average monthly jobs growth was just 35,000. This was less than a third of the 134,000 previously expected and the lowest since the pandemic. Thomas Ryan, North America economist at Capital Economics, said that figures were 'troublingly low'. Mr Ryan said: 'It is difficult to interpret this as anything other than a sign of hiring stalling.' Earlier this week Mr Trump had celebrated a surprise 3pc surge in GDP between April and June, which was driven by a drop off in imports, which he hailed as 'way better than expected!'. However, the jobs figures show that cracks are emerging in the US economy. Mr Ryan the signs of major weakness in the jobs market increase the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will finally cut interest rates at its next meeting in September. 02:13 PM BST Hard-hit Switzerland 'could still strike a deal with Trump' UBS, Switzerland's biggest bank, says the Swiss government will likely land a trade deal with the US, which would cut the punishing 39pc tariff rate that President Donald Trump meted out on Thursday. UBS said Switzerland would in the end probably get a deal similar to the EU-US agreement, which set a tariff of 15pc and included a pledge to invest more in the US. 'The lack of result from negotiations comes as a surprise. There were several indications over recent weeks that Switzerland and the US were closing in on a deal,' the bank said in a note. The US takes 19pc of Switzerland's exports, and almost two-thirds are shipments of pharmaceuticals. UBS said pharma's key role in their trade could 'create some leeway for a deal'. The Swiss authorities have reportedly said the new 39pc tariff would not apply to the pharmaceuticals sector. But uncertainty remains over Mr Trump's plans for a sectoral tariff on pharmaceuticals, and his campaign to get drug makers to lower their US prices. If Switzerland cannot get a deal, UBS said the country's interest rates and currency might drop, cushioning the blow from tariffs. Economic growth would 'decline significantly' in this scenario, but the country might skirt a recession. 01:58 PM BST Not just Tesla Tesla is struggling in Europe, but it is not the only American company struggling with consumer outrage. US businesses have also found sales drying up in Canada, as angry shoppers, offended by Donald Trump's aggressive rhetoric and heavy taxes, shun goods from south of the border. 'Canadian boycotts focus on products that are visibly identified with the US. Thus, US beer and wine sales in Canada have collapsed. US-produced breakfast cereals, beauty products, and sporting goods have all experienced significant declines in Canadian sales,' says Paul Donovan, chief economist at UBS. 'The more difficult question is how enduring such boycotts will be. Boycotts against specific companies often fade over time, as new customer enter the market. However, a national boycott may be more enduring, as consumer habits change and buying substitute brands becomes an established habit. Retailers then respond by changing inventory and refuse to stock US products at all.' 01:50 PM BST Trump tariff does not match negotiated deal, say Swiss Switzerland will keep pushing for lower tariffs after the US imposed shock taxes of 39pc on goods imported from the Alpine nation. The Government said the level of tariffs is far higher than it had been led to anticipate from talks with the Trump administration. 'The additional tariff announced by the US president differs significantly from the draft joint statement. The draft joint statement was the result of intensive talks between Switzerland and the US over the past few months and was approved by the Federal Council on 4 July,' the Swiss authorities tweeted. 'Switzerland has been and remains in contact with the relevant US authorities. It continues to seek a negotiated solution with the US.' 01:41 PM BST €1bn blow to French wine industry France's cherished wine and spirits industry faces losing one-quarter of its sales in the US, in the face of the 15pc tariffs agreed between Mr Trump and Ms von der Leyen. Gabriel Picard, of industry group FEVS, said the weaker dollar - and stronger euro - also makes French alcohol less competitive in the American market. 'The impact of this duty will be all the more brutal as it goes hand in hand with the decline of the US dollar in the United States,' he said. France exported €15.6bn of wine and spirits last year. The US is the industry's biggest export market, buying €3.8bn of French booze in 2024. 01:19 PM BST Tesla sales slump across Europe Registrations of new Teslas are plunging across Europe, in a reminder that Donald Trump's trade policies will not guarantee more sales for American brands. Elon Musk's marque suffered a fall in registrations of more than one-quarter in France, almost two-thirds in the Netherlands and 86pc in Sweden. Sales are up in Spain and Norway, but overall European registrations are down by one-third this year. The billionaire's close association with Mr Trump in the early months of this year damaged the brand's image among many consumers in Europe, leading in some instances to protests, boycotts and the sight of Teslas bearing the bumper sticker: 'I bought this before Elon went crazy'. It indicates Mr Trump's effort to strike a new trade deal to flood Europe with American-made cars will not necessarily be enough on its own to persuade Europeans to buy them. Tesla is also facing increasing competition from cheaper Chinese electric vehicles. The company's woes led to the unedifying scene of Mr Trump purchasing a Tesla from Mr Musk on the lawn of the White House in March, declaring the vehicle top be 'beautiful'. 'That is the coolest design,' the President said at the time. The pair have since fallen out. Mr Trump has reported considered selling or giving away the car. 12:53 PM BST Have your say: 'This is insane' 12:51 PM BST $450bn haul from tariffs The slate of US tariffs now coming into force could reap $450bn (£340bn) in annual tax revenue, fund manager RBC BlueBay has estimated. That could pull back the US budget deficit to 'slightly below' 7pc of gross domestic product, BlueBay said. This would help fund the tax cuts and spending increases in President Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Act', which run to almost $2 trillion over the next four years. 'In the absence of material retaliatory tariffs, this has been viewed as a great result for the US,' said Mark Dowding, chief investment officer at fund manager BlueBay. 'It has even meant that a US president has ended up winning plaudits for a tax-hiking policy across the political spectrum.' The money is not free, nor does it come from foreigners, despite the President's rhetoric: many economists expect that US consumers will in effect end up paying most of this tax, as the tariffs are passed through into the prices Americans pay for imported goods. But Mr Dowding said in his note that the White House expected only about one-third of the tariff increases to be passed on to US consumers, 'with the balance absorbed through producer efficiency gains, margins and higher prices passed on in other markets'. 'If this is correct, they conclude that core inflation may only increase around 0.4pc over the months ahead,' he said. This could encourage the White House to push the US Federal Reserve to lower interest rates sooner. 12:31 PM BST Full list of Trump's latest tariffs For many countries the taxes on goods sold into the US are not far off those announced on so-called 'liberation day' in early April. For products from countries such as Brazil, the tariffs are considerbly higher. 12:24 PM BST Relative boost to China Chinese-made goods will become more competitive in America once President Donald Trump's tariffs kick in among China's rival exporters, Capital Economics has said. China's 51pc tariff rate was not changed on Thursday, as Beijing and Washington look to extend their negotiations beyond the latest August 12 deadline. But most other Asian economies now face a tariff increase of between five and 15 percentage points. Capital Economics' chief China analyst Julian Evans-Pritchard said this would shrink the potential price gap between Chinese producers and their Asian rivals once their goods hit the US market. But Mr Evans-Pritchard warned that Chinese exporters now faced a 40pc tariff if they tried to reroute their US exports through third countries. 'In theory at least, goods transhipped from China to the US will soon face tariffs of about 70pc, threatening one of the key channels via which the impact of US tariffs has been dampened,' he said in a note. But he suggested that the US would find it hard to police these transshipments. And as firms outside China served more US demand, Chinese firms could boost exports to serve more non-US demand. 'We doubt that Chinese exporters will end up being much worse off than they are now,' he said. 12:11 PM BST Astrazeneca down 3pc Shares in drug giant Astrazeneca have recovered some of today's losses. The stock is down 3pc so far today. The blow from Mr Trump's letter demanding lower drug prices came despite the company's efforts to placate the President earlier this week. Pascal Soriot, the chief executive, on Tuesday announced major plans to invest in America - a key demand from the US President. 'As we enter our next phase of growth, we have pledged $50bn to continue to grow in the US, which includes the largest manufacturing investment in AstraZeneca's history, set for Virginia,' Mr Soriot said. 'This landmark investment reflects not only America's importance but also our confidence in our innovative medicines to transform global health and power AstraZeneca's ambition to deliver $80 billion revenue by 2030.' 11:59 AM BST TACOs are off the menu, says international business body The flurry of tariffs unveiled last night show that the White House is set on defying market expectations that 'Trump Always Chickens Out' (TACO) of his threats, the International Chamber of Commerce said on Friday. 'The announcement provides confirmation that the administration is set on applying generally higher tariff rates,' said ICC deputy secretary general Andrew Wilson. He said there was now 'clarity on the direction of travel, but many questions remain about implementation and the real world implications' of Mr Trump's tariffs. Mr Wilson said it was mostly unclear whether a country's headline rate would be additional to or replace other tariffs, such as the sector-specific levies on goods like cars, medicines and steel. 'We still see companies struggling to understand how the country-specific rates will apply in practice,' he said. 11:58 AM BST Fight 'bone-crushing' EU rules with tariffs, Exxon urges Trump Oil giant Exxon Mobil has urged Donald Trump to use tariff threats to force the EU to cut back climate and human rights regulations. Under incoming rules, EU nations will be able to levy 'bone-crushing' fines on companies which break the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, totalling up to 5pc of their global revenues. 'This is counter, frankly, to everything the Trump administration has been trying to do on the regulation front ,' said Darren Woods, the chief executive of the $481bn titan, the Financial Times reported. 'As the US administration eases US regulatory burdens on companies here in the US, it is being replaced by EU climate regulations. It is going to tangle them up in more bureaucratic red tape in Europe . . . and subject [companies] to bone-crushing penalties, so that's a big issue that is yet to be addressed, and hopefully will as part of these [trade] negotiations.' 11:46 AM BST Amazon hit by tariffs Amazon shares are falling today amid concerns over Mr Trump's tariffs and after the retail giant delivered disappointing profit forecasts on Thursday. Shares are down almost 8pc in pre-market trading. Chief executive Andy Jassy told analysts on Thursday night that he did not know whether consumers or suppliers would end up absorbing the cost of tariffs. 'If costs go up over time, we're unsure at this point who's going to end up absorbing those higher costs. What we can tell you is what we've seen so far in the first half of the year, in the first half, we just haven't seen diminished demand. And we haven't seen any kind of broad scale [price] increases,' he said. 11:39 AM BST Trump blasts 'moron' Powell Donald Trump has renewed his assault on Jerome Powell, the boss of the Federal Reserve. The President called called for the central bank's board to 'assume control' if his demands for interest rates are not obeyed. Mr Trump called the chairman a 'stubborn MORON', in the latest attack on Mr Powell, who this week kept interest rates at 4.5pc. The commander in chief has called for the federal funds rate to be cut to as low as 1pc. He backed away from seeking to sack the central banker, amid fears such a move could send markets into a tailspin. But the President has resumed his criticism of Mr Powell in recent weeks. 11:34 AM BST Swiss franc slides The Swiss franc is down 0.4pc against the dollar. It takes the safe haven currency down to $1.2256, its lowest level for more than a month. Sterling has dropped just over half a percent, to $1.3164. 11:28 AM BST Dark day for pharma stocks 11:24 AM BST Threaten European health like Nato, says pharma boss Donald Trump should use his muscle to force European nations to pay more for medicines, a pharmaceuticals industry chief has argued. Stephen Ubl, chief executive of industry group PhRMA, said the President should use the same tactics on health services as he did on NATO members. 'President Trump has already demanded that NATO allies spend more on defence. He could do the same for health care – by pressing trade partners to spend a set share of their GDP on new innovative medicines,' Mr Ubl said. The industry group counts companies including AstraZeneca, GSK and Pfizer among its members. Mr Trump's statements on defence have shaken confidence that the US would stand behind its NATO obligations if a European member state is invaded by Russia. Mr Ubl also blamed 'middlemen' for high prices in the US, rather than drug manufacturers. 'America's byzantine drug pricing system' benefits distributors while jacking up prices far above those charged in the UK, Japan or France,' the pharma chief said. 11:12 AM BST Carney promises to keep negotiating Mr Carney has pledged to 'continue to negotiate' amid fears for Canada's car and raw materials markets. The Prime Minister noted that trade covered by the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement will not be hit with the 35pc tariffs, but other sectors face higher levies. Steel sold into the US comes with a 50pc tax, for instance. 'Other sectors of our economy - including lumber, steel, aluminium and automobiles - are, however, heavily impacted by US duties and tariffs,' said Mr Carney. 'For such sectors, the Canadian government will act to protect Canadian jobs, invest in our industrial competitiveness, buy Canadian, and diversify our export markets.' That indicates a big push to sell to other countries and wean Canada off its reliance on American demand. 10:57 AM BST Carney strikes back Canada's Prime Minister insists the country 'is making historic investments in border security to arrest drug traffickers, take down transnational gangs and end migrant smuggling'. Mark Carney says 'only 1pc of US fentanyl imports' cross his border, undermining Mr Trump's latest justification for tariffs. Failing any steps to overturn the taxes on trade, he is falling back on self-reliance: 'Canadians will be our own best customer,' the PM says. 10:41 AM BST Your profits work for us Drug bosses have been ordered to send profits from abroad to the US to lower prices in America. 'Increased revenues abroad must be repatriated to lower drug prices for American patients and taxpayers through an explicit agreement with the United States,' Mr Trump wrote to pharmaceutical executives. The letter came with threats, too. 'If you refuse to step up, we will deploy every tool in our arsenal to protect American families from continued abusive drug pricing practices,' the President said, demanding 'binding commitments' by the end of September. Benjamin Picton, senior market strategist at Rabobank, said this echoes the move in Mr Trump's trade deal with the EU to move his negotiations from Governments - covering tariffs and other trade barriers - to the private sector. 'Trump said that drug companies must use excess revenues generated in foreign markets to reduce prices for American consumers. Effectively, he is telling them to reverse what the administration perceives as the status quo whereby Americans pay higher prices to subsidise foreign consumption,' said Mr Picton. 'That sounds very mercantilist, and awfully similar to the reverse Marshall Plan dynamic developing through investment pledges contained in trade deals struck with the EU, Japan and South Korea.' In the EU deal, Mr Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed the EU would import $750bn-worth of American energy, and increase investments in the US by $600bn. Yet those are largely private sector decisions, over which politicians typically have limited influence. But Mr Trump's pharma war shows his willingness to seek to force decisions on businesses. 10:26 AM BST The short list of winners Not many countries can be called 'winners' in the trade war. Almost every nation will find its new taxes slapped on its exports into the US, while Americans are also suffering higher prices on the products they want to buy. But this has become a relative game, and a few countries face lower tariffs than they previously expected. India is one such nation. Mr Trump last month warned that countries buying Russian oil faced secondary tariffs of up to 100pc on goods sold into the US - raising the prospect of a major assault on commerce with India, intended as a means of putting pressure on Vladimir Putin. But although he gave the world's most populous nation a tongue-lashing this week, the US President stopped short of imposing the full threatened levy. 'I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World,' he wrote on Truth Social. But the tax rate on Indian imports now appears to be 25pc, in something of a reprieve for the Asian economy. Taiwan's tariff is falling from the so-called 'liberation day' level of 32pc to 20pc, and Vietnamese goods face a 20pc tax - not 46pc. 'The new tariffs announced yesterday cover nearly 70 countries, while those without new rates will continue to be subject to the 10pc minimum tariff,' said Atakan Bakiskan, US economist at Berenberg Bank. 'In some ways, this is not the worst-case scenario, as Trump had previously indicated that the universal 10pc baseline rate could double.' 10:14 AM BST War on drug prices The US President has written to the bosses of 17 pharmaceuticals companies to demand lower prices for American customers, paid for by charging higher prices to foreigners. Mr Trump demanded that they 'negotiate harder with foreign freeloading nations' and said that 'increased revenues abroad must be repatriated to lower drug prices for American patients and taxpayers'. He also demanded a 'binding commitment' to these goals and declared that 'other nations have been freeloading on US innovation for too long'. That includes pushing the companies to pledge not to charge Americans higher prices than customers in other developed economies. It represents a potential threat to the finances of the NHS, which tries to use its scale to negotiate lower prices for medicines and may now find a reduction in its bargaining power when dealing with major suppliers. 10:13 AM BST Canada in drug and Gaza storm Mr Trump's executive order ramping up tariffs on America's northern neighbour states the reason is 'Canada's lack of cooperation in stemming the flood of fentanyl and other illicit drugs across our northern border'. But it is not the only issue at play. The decision came a day after the US President criticised Mark Carney's Government for its stance on Gaza. 'Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine. That will make it very hard for us to make a trade deal with them. Oh Canada!!!' Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, underlining the shifting sands on which his administration's trade negotiations are built. Taxes on goods from Canada sold into the US now stand at 35pc, up from 25pc. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
3 Medical Stocks to Consider as Markets Take a Breather
The broader indexes have cooled off in the last few trading sessions after what was another pleasant month for the stock market in July. While the market has been able to shrug off trade war concerns on the way to a historic rebound, President Trump has officially signed an executive order to hit most of the United States' trading partners with tariff hikes, which ignited a pullback on Friday as July's Jobs Report came in weaker than expected. Considering the benchmark S&P 500 and the tech-centric Nasdaq looked due for a breather after spiking more than +10% in the last three months, investors may be scoping out some defensive positions. That said, these medical sector stocks may continue to provide this defensive safety, as there will always be a constant need for health care. CVS Health Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) CVS Health's CVS transformation into an innovative pharmacy company with integrated offerings across the entire spectrum of pharmacy care is paying off. Thanks to strong earnings, raised guidance, and renewed investor confidence, CVS stock has surged over +30% this year but still trades at just 10X forward earnings and offers a very generous 4.28% annual dividend yield. In addition to sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), CVS stock currently checks an overall 'A' VGM Zacks Style Scores grade for the combination of Value, Growth, and Momentum. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Johnson & Johnson Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson JNJ checks the value box, with a reasonable 15.1X forward earnings multiple and a 3.16% annual dividend yield. Furthermore, investors seemed to have flocked to Johnson & Johnson stock earlier in the year during heightened market volatility, and JNJ is still up +15% in 2025 to top the S&P 500 and Nasdaq's returns of roughly +7%. Although Johnson & Johnson's growth has slowed, steady top and bottom line expansion is still in the forecast, and the medical leader has one of the most diversified business models. Having more than 275 subsidiaries, Johnson & Johnson's pipeline of drugs/treatments covers neuroscience and mental health, oncology, immunology, pulmonary hypertension, cardiovascular, rare, and infectious diseases. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Tenet Healthcare Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) We'll round out the list with Tenet Healthcare THC, an investor-owned health care services company that owns and operates general hospitals and health care facilities for urban and rural communities in numerous states. Boasting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), THC stock is benefiting from a very pleasant trend of positive earnings estimate revisions. With Tenet Healthcare's annual earnings now expected to leap 25% in fiscal 2025 to $14.92 per share, it's noteworthy that these EPS revisions have climbed 17% in the last 60 days from estimates of $12.69 two months ago. Plus, THC is up +25% YTD and trades at 10X forward earnings. Strongly suggesting Tenet Healthcare's impressive stock performance should continue, FY26 EPS is projected to expand another 4% to $15.48, and estimates have spiked 14% in the last 60 days. On top of being a 'feel-good' investment in regard to Tenet Healthcare reaching underserved communities, THC checks the fundamental trading boxes with an 'A' VGM Zacks Style Scores grade. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Bottom Line Hopefully, the excitement for AI-driven growth will continue to push the broader market higher, but these top medical stocks can provide the defensive safety that investors may need with volatility starting to resurface amid President Trump's tariff hikes and last month's unfavorable jobs report. 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 Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tenet Healthcare Corporation (THC) : Free Stock Analysis Report CVS Health Corporation (CVS) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
