We keep talking about consumers. I decided to talk to them, instead. Specifically, consumers who've seen their incomes take a nosedive. Where are they shopping this holiday season? How much do they plan to spend?    Read More

S&P 500 futures drop a few points as October Housing Starts and Permits were a bit below expectations, while the Consumer Price Index was a bit hotter than expected.    Read More

Following are the day’s biggest winners and losers. Find out why shares of
Barnes & Noble and Palm popped while Jacobs Engineering and Smith Int  dropped.    Read More

Retailers: are we reaching the limits of cost cutting? Cautious comments on fourth quarter sales from Saks and Target are weighing on retailers today.    Read More

Welcome to the retail mind game: Both Target and Saks gave cautious guidance on holiday sales.    Read More

The S&P 500 closed higher on Friday, giving the stock market a second straight week of gains as upbeat retail news reinforced hopes for strong sales this holiday season.   Read More

Next week, more from retailers. October Retail sales on Monday, along with more retail earnings from companies like Saks and Target.   Read More

When consumers shut their wallets tight last year, caught in the vice grip of the financial crisis, many analysts expected that the downturn was so severe that it would make permanent changes in how consumers behaved.   Read More

When the wealthy open their wallets, the rest of us follow. Find out how to trade it.   Read More

October retail sales. Now that all the analysts have finished opining to their clients, it's clear there's good and bad news about the direction of retail sales.    Read More