The Global Supply Chain and Its Impact on Earnings

Here at Commonwealth, we’ve spent a lot of time breaking down earnings results and commentary in the past few months and after the third quarter ended. For the most part, business for corporate America is strong, and the post-pandemic rebound continues with a few disruptions related to the spread of new variants. But the most common theme we’ve heard discussed in the calls we’ve participated in relates to the supply chain and the negative impact it is having on earnings and how it could continue well into 2022. And it’s not just us. According to FactSet, 342 of the S&P 500 companies made some sort of reference to the supply chain in their quarterly earnings calls. That is at a 10-year high, and it highlights how much of an issue this has become in creating bottlenecks for the economy and corporate earnings. The supply chain is critical, as it can result in demand destruction as consumers choose not to wait around to make a purchase. It can also result in higher costs. Both of these factors put and likely will continue to put downward pressure on earnings in the near term.

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