iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF

KXI

Market cap $1.05B

The LSEG Retail/Restaurant Index reported Q1 2026 earnings growth of 27.2%. Retail earnings in the first quarter of 2026 received a significant boost from a historic tax refund season, reinforcing consumer spending at a time when the labor market remained resilient. Q2 2026 earnings are currently expected to mark the weakest growth rate of the year, with consensus forecasts calling for a gradual improvement during the second half of the year.

The iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF provides international exposure with a higher expense ratio than the Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF has delivered stronger five-year total return while maintaining significantly higher assets under management (AUM).

The beverage, personal care, and food industries are undervalued versus 11-year averages, while tobacco is deeply overvalued, and household products are near baseline. iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF offers global exposure with lower company-specific risk and better fundamentals than XLP but has lagged in historical returns. Five stocks are cheaper than their peers in June.

When it comes to dividend plays, consumer staples stocks can be right up at the top—companies that generate reliable income regardless of market conditions. Consumer staples firms often enjoy pricing advantages, brand loyalty, and natural resistance to recessions.

Fundamental metrics indicate that beverages are greatly undervalued, while food, household products, and personal care are undervalued by 10%–14% but vary in quality. The iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF has lagged XLP since inception, despite recent 12-month outperformance driven by international equities; both ETFs are highly concentrated in top holdings. Two stocks were cheaper than their peers in March.

Consumer staples stocks generate reliable income, hold up during downturns, and tend to raise dividends even when growth slows.

KXI has quietly become one of the better-performing corners of the equity market in 2026.

Consumer sentiment has been sitting in recessionary territory for months, with the University of Michigan's index at 56.4 as of January 2026 and the S&P 500 up just 0.81% year-to-date.

Consumer sentiment has been sitting in recessionary territory for months, with the University of Michigan's index at 56.4 as of January 2026 and the S&P 500 up just 0.81% year-to-date.

KXI pays a 2.2% dividend yield by owning shares in the world's most recognizable consumer staples companies, passing that income through to investors each quarter.