What Happened?
A number of stocks fell in the afternoon session after signs of weakening consumer health and a cautious outlook for the upcoming holiday season emerged.
The Conference Board reported that its consumer confidence index fell more than expected in September, hitting its lowest level since April. This drop is fueled by growing pessimism among Americans regarding inflation and a softening job market. Compounding these concerns, a pre-holiday survey indicates that the vast majority of consumers plan to cut back on spending compared to last year, citing the rising cost of living. With shoppers expected to prioritize essentials, discretionary categories like luxury items and home goods could face significant headwinds, creating a challenging environment for retailers.
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:
- Beverages, Alcohol, and Tobacco company Tilray (NASDAQ: TLRY) fell 7.9%. Is now the time to buy Tilray? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- Personal Care company BeautyHealth (NASDAQ: SKIN) fell 4.2%. Is now the time to buy BeautyHealth? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
Zooming In On Tilray (TLRY)
Tilray’s shares are extremely volatile and have had 76 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 1 day ago when the stock gained 41.4% on the news that U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed the use of cannabidiol (CBD) for senior healthcare in a social media post.
Over the weekend, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, suggesting that hemp-derived CBD could 'revolutionize senior healthcare' and serve as an alternative to prescription drugs. His comments acted as a major catalyst for the cannabis industry, sparking a broad rally that lifted shares of other major players like Canopy Growth and Aurora Cannabis. This endorsement fueled investor optimism regarding the potential for wider adoption of CBD products and a more favorable regulatory environment, adding to existing hopes for the reclassification of marijuana.
Tilray is up 15.1% since the beginning of the year, but at $1.68 per share, it is still trading 9.2% below its 52-week high of $1.85 from September 2025.
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