31 May Market Insight – Will the Retail Industry be the Next Commodity Crisis for the U.S. Credit Markets?
During the past year, record store closings at Macy’s, Sears, Kmart, JCPenney, Payless and Radio Shack have painted a dire picture of the U.S. retail sector. Some forecasters expect more retail stores to close in 2017 than during the financial crisis in 2008, leading to additional bankruptcies, layoffs, real estate defaults and equity/bond market losses.
Voya Investment Management – Market Insight – May 2017
In April, we provided support for allocations to high yield by rebutting three common arguments against the asset class. “Retail is the new energy” was an argument against high yield in April and one that continues today. Given the headlines surrounding the “demise” of retail, we believe it is appropriate to offer investors a deeper analysis of the topic and provide a broader perspective across credit markets.