BofA Merrill Lynch analyst Steve Byrne said it appears that risks of U.S. economic contagion from the broader global macro slowdown are "steadily building." Given this view, he has generally moved to be more cautious on the earnings outlook and ratings for stocks with global industrial exposure, resulting in his upgrade of two chemicals stocks and his downgrades of four others. Byrne downgraded Dow Inc. (DOW) to Underperform from Neutral and Westlake Chemical (WLK) to Underperform from Buy, noting their commodity exposure. He downgraded Axalta Coating (AXTA) to Neutral from Buy and cut PPG (PPG) to Underperform from Neutral as he is getting more cautious about their revenue prospects. He upgraded Venator Materials (VNTR) to Buy from Underperform, citing what he views as an attractive risk-reward as he expects earnings will grow in 2020, driven by product upgrades and productivity initiatives. Byrne also upgraded Nutrien (NTR) to Neutral from Underperform as he believes Ag stocks could prove to be defensive plays.