What Happened?
A number of stocks fell in the afternoon session after worries over worsening trade relations with China were triggered by critical comments from President Donald Trump.
The President's comments, stating on social media that China has 'become very hostile,' have injected significant volatility into the broader markets. This has particularly affected the leisure industry, which is highly sensitive to economic sentiment and discretionary spending. Leisure stocks, which include companies in travel, entertainment, and hospitality, rely on consumers feeling confident enough to spend on non-essential goods and services. Trump targeted China's tightening controls on rare earth metals, which are vital components in many technology products from electric vehicles to defense systems. The president's tone and the suggestion of canceling a meeting with President Xi caused a rapid sell-off in the market.
Earlier in the week, China announced new export controls on the critical minerals. Beijing's Commerce Ministry stated that foreign suppliers now need government approval to export products containing certain rare-earth materials. These materials are essential for producing high-tech goods, including computer chips, electric vehicles, and defense technology. Analysts viewed the move as a strategic assertion of China's dominance in the global rare earth supply chain, particularly amid ongoing trade tensions.
The prospect of escalating tariffs raises concerns about economic headwinds, which could lead to a slowdown in consumer spending. If consumers tighten their budgets in response to economic uncertainty, discretionary purchases are often the first to be cut, directly impacting the revenues of companies in this sector.
The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks.
Among others, the following stocks were impacted:
- Travel and Vacation Providers company Marriott Vacations (NYSE:VAC) fell 3.2%. Is now the time to buy Marriott Vacations? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.
- Toys and Electronics company Mattel (NASDAQ:MAT) fell 4.7%. Is now the time to buy Mattel? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.
- Leisure Facilities company Topgolf Callaway (NYSE:MODG) fell 3.1%. Is now the time to buy Topgolf Callaway? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.
- Leisure Products company MasterCraft (NASDAQ:MCFT) fell 3.1%. Is now the time to buy MasterCraft? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.
- Travel and Vacation Providers company United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) fell 4%. Is now the time to buy United Airlines? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.
Zooming In On Mattel (MAT)
Mattel’s shares are not very volatile and have only had 9 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful, although it might not be something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.
The biggest move we wrote about over the last year was 8 months ago when the stock gained 16.5% on the news that the company reported fourth-quarter results that significantly exceeded analysts' EPS and EBITDA expectations. Revenue also exceeded expectations, though by a narrow margin, as sales increased 1.6% year-on-year. Additionally, its revenue and full-year EPS guidance outperformed Wall Street estimates. Zooming out, we think this was a good quarter with some key areas of upside.
Mattel is down 3.3% since the beginning of the year, and at $17.14 per share, it is trading 21.9% below its 52-week high of $21.94 from February 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Mattel’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,359.
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