Is retail dead? what a downturn could mean for your shares

Australian retailers are currently recording some of their worst trading conditions on record, but are these challenges cyclical or structural? In other words, is the pain inflicted on your portfolio likely to be temporary, or permanent?

Morningstar equity analyst Johannes Faul has run the numbers and also looked at the experience of Australia’s retailers during our last recession nearly three decades ago. He tells:

• What a recession could do to Australian retailers, and how they’re likely to fair if the economy keeps growing
• Which retail stocks are likely to survive a downturn
• How structural challenges are likely to affect the sector, and
• What you can do to protect your portfolio.