Economics will be a far more important subject than fashion for retailers this year as cash-strapped U.S. consumers do their back-to-school shopping over the next several weeks.

Teen apparel retailers shares fell on Friday, reversing a weeklong rise amid volatility in the market.

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters Inc. rose on Wednesday, as analysts said the teen apparel retailer is moving in the right direction to improve results.

By anyone's reckoning, it was a rough week.  Crude oil continued its relentless climb; banks and brokerages gave hints of more discouraging news; government data pointed to a weak economy; even strong companies like Nike, Oracle, and Research In Motion issued cautious guidance; and Federal Reserve policymakers, widely perceived as powerless to help, left interest rates unchanged.  But all week, even through the worst of the market's sell-offs, CNBC guests offered

After slashing inventory and cutting expenses, the retail industry is still bracing for the largest overall quarterly profit decline in at least nine years when merchants report their first-quarter earnings this week.

If energy and food prices continue to surge, consumers aren't going to be able to keep up, which would have a huge impact on the economy -- and stocks.  Still,  the market doesn't seem worried.

A souring job market and rising costs of the usual teen indulgences — pizza, a drive to the mall, the hottest new jeans — are causing teens to do something they rarely do: be thrifty.

Discounts and gift cards helped many U.S. retailers rebound in January from a dreary December, according to data released Wednesday, but analysts suspected post-holiday sales were stunted by the weaker economy.

Big box retailers like Wal-Mart and Costco saw sales that exceeded expectations, but most niche retailers  saw their sales drop or saw sales grow less than expected.