G Sachs Identifies Three Key Trends in China's Consumer Staples Sector; Potential Recovery Opportunities Expected by 2026
Sector Performance Overview: China's consumer staples sector showed a split performance in 2022, with steady growth before the May 18 anti-corruption policy, followed by underperformance due to weak demand and deflationary pressures, although some companies like NONGFU SPRING managed to grow.
Future Recovery Outlook: Goldman Sachs predicts that the sector's recovery by 2026 will hinge on reflation processes and policy direction, emphasizing the need for expanding domestic demand and focusing on themes like market bottoming, channel reshuffling, and competition dynamics.
BofAS Predictions: BofAS anticipates that the consumer sector may bottom out in the second half of 2026, particularly with a cyclical recovery in spirits and dairy, alongside growth in ready-to-drink products, driven by the revival of business banquets and high-end demand.
Sector-Specific Trends: The dairy sector is expected to rebalance supply and demand in 2H26 due to upstream production cuts and policy support, while categories related to dining, such as beer and prepared foods, will benefit from low base effects and cyclical recovery.
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Market Performance: The Hang Seng Index (HSI) rose by 361 points (1.4%) to close at 27,126, with a total market turnover of $254.37 billion.
Active Heavyweights: Notable stocks included Alibaba (+2.8%), Ping An (+2.3%), and Tencent (+1.3%), while Meituan saw a decline of 0.6%.
Constituents on the Move: China Life surged by 6% to a new high, while Hang Lung Properties and Hansoh Pharma experienced significant declines of 4.5% and 4.4%, respectively.
Short Selling Activity: High short selling ratios were observed in several stocks, with Hansoh Pharma at 39.5% and Meituan at 27.4%, indicating investor caution.

Market Performance: The HSI rose by 290 points (1.1%) to 27,055, while the HSTI and HSCEI also saw gains, closing at 5,737 and 9,226 respectively.
Active Heavyweights: Notable stock movements included BABA (+2.2%), PING AN (+1.9%), and TENCENT (+1.1%), while MEITUAN experienced a slight decline of 0.5%.
Constituents on the Move: ZIJIN MINING saw a significant increase of 4.1%, while HANG LUNG PPT dropped by 4.4%. Other notable gainers included AIA (+3.5%) and HSBC (+2%).
HSMI & HSSI Highlights: ADICON HOLDINGS surged by 27.8%, while FANGZHOU JIANKE fell sharply by 18.8%. ZONQING LTD and INNOGEN also posted strong gains of 18.4% and 12.8%, respectively.
Merger Announcement: WH Group's subsidiary, Smithfield Foods, has agreed to acquire Nathan's Famous for US$102 per share, totaling an enterprise value of approximately US$450 million.
Financial Details: The acquisition is valued at about 12.4 times Nathan's Famous' last twelve months adjusted EBITDA, with expected annual cost synergies of around US$9 million by the second anniversary of the deal's closing, anticipated in the first half of 2026.

Sector Performance Overview: China's consumer staples sector showed a split performance in 2022, with steady growth before the May 18 anti-corruption policy, followed by underperformance due to weak demand and deflationary pressures, although some companies like NONGFU SPRING managed to grow.
Future Recovery Outlook: Goldman Sachs predicts that the sector's recovery by 2026 will hinge on reflation processes and policy direction, emphasizing the need for expanding domestic demand and focusing on themes like market bottoming, channel reshuffling, and competition dynamics.
BofAS Predictions: BofAS anticipates that the consumer sector may bottom out in the second half of 2026, particularly with a cyclical recovery in spirits and dairy, alongside growth in ready-to-drink products, driven by the revival of business banquets and high-end demand.
Sector-Specific Trends: The dairy sector is expected to rebalance supply and demand in 2H26 due to upstream production cuts and policy support, while categories related to dining, such as beer and prepared foods, will benefit from low base effects and cyclical recovery.

Market Performance: The Hang Seng Index (HSI) rose by 106 points (0.4%) to close at 25,540, while the Hang Seng Tech Index (HSTI) and the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI) also saw gains, closing at 5,581 and 8,954 respectively, with a total market turnover of $193.39 billion.
Active Heavyweights: Notable stocks included Meituan, which increased by 2.7% to $100, and Alibaba, which rose by 1.5% to $153.2. In contrast, China Construction Bank saw a decline of 0.5% to $7.57.
Significant Movers: OOIL experienced a significant drop of 5.9% to $125.5, while WH Group and Haidilao saw increases of 5% and 3.4% respectively. Xinyi Solar fell by 3.2% to $3.02.
Noteworthy Stocks in HSMI & HSSI: Innogen surged by 19.2% to $38.32, and China Vanke rose by 13.2% to $3.78. Conversely, Guofuhee and Hao Tian International faced declines of 12.9% and 10.9% respectively.

Market Performance: The HSI dropped 109 points (0.4%) to 25,325, while the HSTI and HSCEI also saw declines of 0.7% and 0.5%, respectively.
Active Heavyweights: Notable movements included MEITUAN (+1.2%), BABA (+0.6%), and TENCENT (-1.0%), with significant short selling activity across these stocks.
HSI & HSCEI Constituents: OOIL and CM BANK experienced significant declines of 4.9% and 3.8%, respectively, while WH GROUP rose by 3.5%.
HSMI & HSSI Constituents: INNOGEN saw a remarkable increase of 18% in its stock price, closing at $37.94.






