Better Buy: XPO Logistics vs. JB Hunt Transportation

It's been a rough month for markets, and transport companies have been hit particularly hard as investors react to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The year had already started slow for shipping volumes even before the outbreak began to shut down manufacturing and clog supply chains, and the outlook for 2020 is declining daily as the prospects of an economic slowdown increase.

XPO Logistics (NYSE: XPO) and J.B. Hunt Transportation (NASDAQ: JBHT) have both been caught up in the downward pressure. Transport stocks tend to be cyclical, tied to the health of the global and U.S. economies, and investors are increasingly nervous that we could be headed for an extended downturn.