Study: small companies struggle to pass on costs of fuel and tariffs to customers
Published . Updated .
Abrigo analysis shows that tariff-exposed industries with significant fuel, freight, and industrial-energy requirements experienced the clearest pressure on profitability following tariff actions in 2025.
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- XLI Industrial Select Sector SPDR-0.3% 30d
Industrial Select Sector SPDR: it holds companies hit by import costs and trade rules. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story.
- XRT SPDR S&P Retail ETF
SPDR S&P Retail ETF: it holds companies hit by import costs and trade rules. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story.
- BWET Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF+25.1% 18d
Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF: it tracks shipping freight. Linked by “freight” (container shipping) in this story.
- CAT Caterpillar-10.5% 30d
Caterpillar (construction machinery and equip): importers and exporters pay or lose sales when tariffs change. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story.
- DE Deere-5.3% 30d
Deere (farm machinery and equipment): importers and exporters pay or lose sales when tariffs change. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story.
- WMT Walmart+11.3% 30d
Walmart (variety stores): importers and exporters pay or lose sales when tariffs change. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story.
- NKE Nike+2.1% 30d
Nike (rubber and plastics footwear): importers and exporters pay or lose sales when tariffs change. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story.
- ZIM ZIM Integrated Shipping Services+1.3% 30d
ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (deep sea foreign transportation of freight): shipping lines' rates jump when routes or ports are disrupted. Linked by “freight” (container shipping) in this story.
Price reaction, T-5 to T+3
| Ticker | T-5 | T-3 | T-1 | T0 | T+1 | T+2 | T+3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XLINo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| XRTNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BWETNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CATNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| DENo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| WMTNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| NKE | -2.86% | -2.26% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| ZIM | +0.38% | +1.68% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
Closing-price change versus T-1, the last close before the story. T0 to T+3 fill in after each market close. Prices: Alpaca IEX.
Market Call
Think this story will push the stock up or down over the next three trading days? Make a free call and see what other readers think. Points are play money with no cash value.
Study: small companies struggle to pass on costs of fuel and tariffs to customers DC Velocity
Source: DC Velocity
Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLI) since this story, compared with the market
| Company | When | Move | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nike (NKE) | three days earlier | -2.26% | final price |
| Nike (NKE) | five days earlier | -2.86% | final price |
| ZIM | three days earlier | +1.68% | final price |
| ZIM | five days earlier | +0.38% | final price |
Trades by members of Congress and officials in the stocks in this story
- Rep. Lisa McClain bought Caterpillar (CAT) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 28 Sep 2026. That is 31 days before publication. Filed 12 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, bought Caterpillar (CAT), worth $50,001 - $100,000 on 31 Jul 2026. That is 90 days before publication. Filed 22 Sep 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Jonathan Jackson sold Walmart (WMT) (jointly held), worth $50,001 - $100,000 on 28 Sep 2026. That is 31 days before publication. Filed 19 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Walmart (WMT) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 25 Sep 2026. That is 34 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna sold Walmart (WMT) (held by a dependent child), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 11 Sep 2026. That is 48 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, bought Nike (NKE), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 28 Aug 2026. That is 62 days before publication. Filed 8 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Gilbert Cisneros sold Nike (NKE), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 27 Aug 2026. That is 63 days before publication. Filed 10 Sep 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, sold Nike (NKE), worth $100,001 - $250,000 on 21 Aug 2026. That is 69 days before publication. Filed 8 Oct 2026. View the filing.
Public disclosure filings, not a recommendation. The filing link is the source document. News use of these reports still sits under 5 U.S.C. § 13107(c).
Who gains and who loses around Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLI)
Companies carried with this story
- XLI Select Sector Spdr Tr
In “Study: small companies struggle to pass on costs of fuel and tariffs to customers,” Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLI) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Industrial Select Sector SPDR: it holds companies hit by import costs and trade rules. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story
- XRT Spdr Series Trust
Spdr Series Trust (XRT) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 29 Oct 2026 story “Study: small companies struggle to pass on costs of fuel and tariffs to customers.” Reason on file: SPDR S&P Retail ETF: it holds companies hit by import costs and trade rules. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story
- CAT Caterpillar
For “Study: small companies struggle to pass on costs of fuel and tariffs to customers,” Caterpillar (CAT) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Caterpillar (construction machinery and equip): importers and exporters pay or lose sales when tariffs change. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story
- DE Deere
For “Study: small companies struggle to pass on costs of fuel and tariffs to customers,” Deere (DE) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Deere (farm machinery and equipment): importers and exporters pay or lose sales when tariffs change. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story
- WMT Walmart
For “Study: small companies struggle to pass on costs of fuel and tariffs to customers,” Walmart (WMT) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Walmart (variety stores): importers and exporters pay or lose sales when tariffs change. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story
- NKE Nike
For “Study: small companies struggle to pass on costs of fuel and tariffs to customers,” Nike (NKE) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Nike (rubber and plastics footwear): importers and exporters pay or lose sales when tariffs change. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story
Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLI)
The 29 Oct 2026 story “Study: small companies struggle to pass on costs of fuel and tariffs to customers” names Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLI) because of this story.
The link for Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLI) is this: Industrial Select Sector SPDR: it holds companies hit by import costs and trade rules. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story
Also listed, Spdr Series Trust (XRT): SPDR S&P Retail ETF: it holds companies hit by import costs and trade rules. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story
The price range for Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLI), and the dates in the story
CAT traded between 679.58 and 876.39 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 714.89. XLI traded between 163.00 and 172.33 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 168.51. XRT traded between 83.12 and 85.33 across 1 sessions. The latest close on file is 83.23.
How strong the case is around Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLI)
46 out of 100
“Study: small companies struggle to pass on costs of fuel and tariffs to customers” scores 46 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources, and 6 linked companies.