*Retail stocks among S&P 500' s biggest decliners. *Obama heads back to Washington after vacation. *Dow off 0.2 pct, S&P 500 down 0.5 pct, Nasdaq off 0.7 pct.
*Retail stocks among S&P 500' s biggest decliners. President Barack Obama is due back in Washington early Thursday for a final effort to negotiate a deal with Congress to bridge a series of tax increases and government spending cuts set to begin next week, the so-called "fiscal cliff" many economists worry could push the economy into recession if it takes effect.
Showrooming, the retail term for shoppers who try a product, then buy it cheaper on Amazon.com or other websites, has driven retailers to the point of hiding barcodes, improving their own websites and coming up with methods to get people to complete their purchase in the store.
*Aeropostale: "Challenging" first few weeks of November. *Aeropostale: "Cautious" for the rest of the quarter. Nov 28- Teen clothing retailer American Eagle Outfitters Inc said it got off to a strong start fo the holiday selling season and raised its earnings forecast for the year, while Aeropostale Inc's forecast showed it expects a tougher season than its rival.
*Sees FY earnings from continuing ops between $1.38 and $1.40. Nov 28- Teen clothing retailer American Eagle Outfitters Inc said it was heading into a strong holiday season as both its casual clothes and lingerie sold well, and more customers shopped at its stores despite fewer discounts than last year.
Three retail companies are poised to cash in big on Black Friday, J Rogers Kniffen CEO Jan Kniffen said Wednesday on CNBC.
Oct 8- Abercrombie& Fitch Co:. *Credit Agricole revises rating on Abercrombie& Fitch to outperform. Reuters Station users, click. 1568.
Oct 1- Abercrombie& Fitch Co:. *Credit Suisse starts Abercrombie& Fitch Co with an underperform. Reuters Station users, click. 1568.