Just because they sell $5,000 handbags and $20,000 watches doesn't mean it will be smooth sailing in the era of Trump tariffs for the world's largest luxury goods companies. It may be anything but smooth, if JPMorgan analyst Chiara Battistini is right. "The new import duties are worse than what had been anticipated, and a material headwind to the sector, that generates 20-25% of sales on average in the US, fully exports from Europe, with no flexibility to shift some of the production capacity to North America, and with pricing power that is increasingly questioned," Battistini wrote in a note on Friday. Trump's severe tariffs have called the profit outlook for almost every company and sector into question. President Trump unveiled a baseline tariff rate of 10% that will go into effect on April 5. A higher tariff rate will start on April 9 for about 60 countries that the administration considers to be the worst trade offenders. Read more: What Trump's tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet Europe, where many luxury goods giants such as LVMH (MC.PA), Kering (KER.PA), and Burberry (BRBY.L) manufacture their goods, was hit with a 20% tariff. The Kraneshares Global Luxury Index ETF (KLXY) declined by 10% this past week, worse than the MSCI Europe Index's drop of 4%. The ETF counts LVMH, Kering, and Moncler (MONC.MI) as top holdings. The sector will not only see their cost of goods sold rise meaningfully but also face rising odds of a US recession — suggesting a pullback in demand even among high-income consumers. "Beyond the margin pressure short term, we are even more mindful that the impact from the announced tariffs will also likely translate into a headwind to the underlying demand, in both the short term (due to higher level of uncertainty and stock market volatility, usually both impacting consumer confidence) and medium term (due to likely rising inflation," Battistini wrote. Read more: How to protect your money during economic turmoil, stock market volatility JPMorgan's research shows luxury goods players are already jacking up prices to compensate for the anticipated costs of tariffs. Ferragamo (SFER.VI) raised the price of its Hug handbag by 4% and its elasticated ballet flat shoes by 6% both in the UK and France within the last week. The Hug handbag now sells for $3,100, while the elasticated ballet flats fetch $695. The company also raised the price of the elasticated ballet flat shoes by 3% in China and by 8% in Japan last week, JPMorgan's research found. The price of Hug handbags went up by 3% in Japan as well. Story Continues "The aspirational consumer is going to be in hibernation as the impact of February/March Challenger job cuts report planned layoffs start to hit," Tematica Research chief investment officer Chris Versace told me. JPMorgan's Battistini warns Swiss watchmakers could be hard hit given a possible demand pullback and already competitive market dynamics. Versace said, "Those costs into the US are going to move meaningfully higher — so much for a new Rolex, despite all the new models they just unveiled." Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor. Follow Sozzi on X @BrianSozzi, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Tips on stories? Email [email protected]. Click here for all of the latest retail stock news and events to better inform your investing strategy View Comments
Trump tariffs may hammer these luxury goods giants that cater to the wealthy
You are reading a free article with opinions that may differ from the recommendation given by Kalkine in its paid research reports. Become a Kalkine member today to get access to our research reports, in-depth technical and fundamental research. Learn more
Start Your Free Trial Now!Download Free Report – Explore 3 Stock Ideas & Industry Insights
Unlock 3 stock ideas and key industry insights in our free report. This information is general in nature and does not consider your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs. It is not financial advice.
All investments involve risk—consider independent advice before making any investment decisions.
View 3 Research ReportsThis information, including any data, is sourced from Unicorn Data Services SAS, trading as EOD Historical Data (“EODHD”) on ‘as is’ basis, using their API. The information and data provided on this page, as well as via the API, are not guaranteed to be real-time or accurate. In some cases, the data may include analyst ratings or recommendations sourced through the EODHD API, which are intended solely for general informational purposes.
This information does not consider your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs. Kalkine does not assume any responsibility for any trading losses you might incur as a result of using this information, data, or any analyst rating or recommendation provided. Kalkine will not accept any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on the information, including but not limited to data, quotes, charts, analyst ratings, recommendations, and buy/sell signals sourced via the API.
Please be fully informed about the risks and costs associated with trading in the financial markets, as it is one of the riskiest forms of investment. Kalkine does not provide any warranties regarding the information on this page, including, without limitation, warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use.
Please wait processing your request...