BUD Defies 451st Liquidity Rank with 1.91% Rally as Earnings Clash with Global Sales Woes in China Brazil

On August 4, 2025, Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) closed with a 1.91% gain, despite a 42.75% decline in daily trading volume to $0.24 billion, ranking it 451st in market liquidity. The stock’s performance followed mixed quarterly results, with earnings per share exceeding estimates but revenue falling short due to weaker-than-expected sales volumes in key markets.

Second-quarter earnings highlighted cost discipline and brand resilience, yet global beer volume declined 2.2%, driven by sharp contractions in China (-7.4%) and Brazil (-6.5%). These regional challenges overshadowed modest revenue growth in the U.S. and other markets. Analysts attributed the stock’s volatility to ongoing brand recovery efforts after a 2023 marketing controversy, which disrupted U.S. sales momentum and shifted consumer preferences.

While management emphasized confidence in long-term strategies, investors remain cautious over trade-related risks, including potential aluminum tariffs impacting packaging costs. The company’s ability to stabilize volumes in underperforming markets and navigate geopolitical pressures will be critical for sustained investor confidence.

A backtest of a liquidity-driven trading strategy showed that purchasing the top 500 stocks by daily trading volume and holding for one day generated a 166.71% return from 2022 to the present, outperforming the benchmark by 137.53%. This underscores the role of liquidity concentration in short-term market performance, particularly during periods of volatility.