11:20 AM EDT, 04/10/2025 (MT Newswires) -- CFRA, an independent research provider, has provided MT Newswires with the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:

Despite the equity market's recent sharp one-day snapback, we see interest in the defensive sectors remaining, given the increasing risk of recession. CFRA puts the likelihood of recession at 40%, as a result of the ongoing global trade uncertainty, with the assumption that an actual recession probably wouldn't start until the second half of the year, as front-running and momentum seem likely to lift growth through May or June. The Consumer Staples Merchandise Retail sub-industry, representing nearly 30% of the weighting of the Consumer Staples sector, sports a high CFRA STARS average of 4.0, along with being in the top 10% of all sub-industries from a momentum perspective. This group garners most of its revenue from groceries and consumables, which we see as less exposed to tariffs than more traditional retail groups. Finally, the entire sector has an average cap-weighted STARS ranking of 3.6, combined with favorable price momentum.