What Happened?

A number of stocks jumped in the afternoon session after the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report showed inflation holding steady, bolstering investor optimism for a potential interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve. 

The data, which revealed that inflation remained at 2.7% for the year ending in July, was seen as a positive sign by investors. This stability increases the likelihood that the Federal Reserve might lower interest rates at its upcoming September meeting. Lower interest rates can stimulate the economy by making borrowing cheaper for both consumers and businesses, which often translates into higher consumer spending. This is particularly beneficial for the Consumer Discretionary sector, which includes companies selling non-essential goods and services like apparel, travel, and electronics.

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:

• Leisure Products company Polaris (NYSE: PII) jumped 5.7%. Is now the time to buy Polaris? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Leisure Products company Brunswick (NYSE: BC) jumped 5.8%. Is now the time to buy Brunswick? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Leisure Products company Malibu Boats (NASDAQ: MBUU) jumped 7.3%. Is now the time to buy Malibu Boats? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Leisure Products company Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) jumped 3.8%. Is now the time to buy Harley-Davidson? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Toys and Electronics company Bark (NYSE: BARK) jumped 8.5%. Is now the time to buy Bark? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.

Zooming In On Bark (BARK)

Bark’s shares are extremely volatile and have had 43 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

The previous big move we wrote about was 8 days ago when the stock gained 4.4% on the news that markets rebounded following a sharp sell-off in the previous trading session as weaker-than-expected U.S. jobs data fueled investor hopes for a potential interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve. The July Nonfarm Payrolls report revealed a gain of only 73,000 jobs, significantly below the 110,000 expected. Compounding the news, prior months' figures were revised downward by over 250,000 jobs. This data, indicating a cooling labor market, has led investors to dramatically increase bets on a September interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve, with the probability jumping to over 80% according to the CME FedWatch Tool. The prospect of lower borrowing costs typically stimulates economic activity and boosts consumer spending on non-essential goods and services, which directly benefits companies in the consumer discretionary space.

Bark is down 54.9% since the beginning of the year, and at $0.85 per share, it is trading 64.5% below its 52-week high of $2.40 from December 2024. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Bark’s shares at the IPO in December 2020 would now be looking at an investment worth $68.77.

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