Goldman says the US economy has 'sharply decelerated' but these stocks can still do well

In the face of a slowing economy, companies with low operating leverage should outperform, according to Goldman Sachs. Such companies tend to have higher costs associated with more sales, but they have lower fixed costs to cover each month. So when companies are experiencing a drag on sales from a slowing economy, those with low operating leverage will be less affected, Goldman said in an investor note."U.S. economic growth has sharply decelerated since early December. In the current macro environment, we recommend investors own stocks with low operating leverage and sell companies with high operating leverage," Goldman's chief U.S. equity strategist David Kostin said in the note. "Low operating leverage firms are those with the smallest share of fixed costs as a percent of revenue. Recent weak economic data including retail sales have forced Wall Street analysts and economists to slash their growth forecasts, which have come down at a fast pace. J.P. Morgan economists last week cut their forecasts for first-quarter growth to 1.5 percent while many others see growth holding just above 2 percent. Consensus earnings growth estimates for S&P 500 firms have also been cut drastically as the first-quarter growth forecast has turned negative.