Shares of Safeway Stores Inc. fell 4 percent Friday after the grocery chain was downgraded over its high-end strategy.

Among the stock activity stories for Friday, Sept. 5, from AP Financial News:

Shares of grocery retailers rose Tuesday along with the broader market as investors saw oil prices tumble in the wake of a weaker-than-expected Hurricane Gustav.

Safeway Inc. on Wednesday declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 8 cents per common share.

Retailers are typically obsessed with what to put under their roofs, not on them. Yet the nation’s biggest store chains are coming to see their immense, flat roofs as an untapped resource.

Billions of dollars are stolen from grocery stores every year, but it's not because of shoplifting. The money walks out the door right at the cash register, where employees are using a scheme called "sweethearting," or giving away merchandise by not scanning it. Now, there's a video security system that can stop it.

The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index or the VIX, Wall Street's main barometer of investor fear, shot up on Friday as many anxious players sought options to guard their portfolios.

The future of this renewable energy source is bright,  especially since it's expected to be  cost-competitive within five years. And the US is well-positioned to benefit.

Shopping for promising stocks?  Where better than at the supermarket?  Jeff Auxier of Auxier Asset Management has some tasty food-business selections for investors.