Retail

Holiday Shopping Dead Today

Roosevelt Field, one of Long Island’s biggest shopping malls, was a ghost town today.  The streets and parking lots around it were barely plowed and the people were clearly staying away. I was only there to take care of business at the Apple Store, which in Roosevelt Field has just moved into a ginormous space,…

Super Saturday Storm, Billions on the Line for Retailers

Today is what’s known as Super Saturday, the day when your friends who weren’t going to buy you anything for Christmas wake up in the morning, feel guilty and rush out to grab you a last minute gift. According to the Wall Street Journal, this is a big day for retailers with about $15 billion…

November Retail Sales Up On Gasoline, Autos Not a Factor

Real quick, looks like we have a gain over October and a better-than-expected number overall for November Retail Sales.  And the “clunkers” were irrelevant… From CNNMoney: Retail sales jumped 1.3% in November, according to the Commerce Department, well more than the expected increase. Economists had expected retail sales to rise 0.6% from October, according to…

The Yuppie Bounce

Go try to find an interview with virtually any sell-side analyst or money manager either in print or on financial television from this past February. Most told you to be completely out of stocks, understandably. The ones who did have the courage lack of choice and had to be recommending stocks in the media were…

Droppin' Knowledge: Howard Davidowitz Unleashed!

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.865317&w=425&h=350&fv=]   Something about Howard Davidowitz gets me pumped!  Even when the subject he’s pontificating on is universally negative, such as the prospects for most retailers and consumers this year. In the above video from Yahoo‘s Tech Ticker, the retail industry maven keeps it real and confesses his utter shock at the disconnect between consumer/…

For New Yorkers, Neighborhoods Are Worth Protecting

I’m not normally a fan of any doctrine or restriction that stifles competition.  I’m also not an ideologue and I am not interested in watching the world burn in the name of unfettered free markets.  I think there’s nothing wrong with striving for some sort of balance in business for the benefit of everyone, even…

July Retail Sales…Yep, Still Ugly

Europe and Asia were leading the way higher for S&P futures early this morning…until this ugly bucket of cold water was thrown at the optimists. What you’re looking at here is July Retail Sales broken down by sector.  Don’t get too fired up over the Cash 4 Clunkers-induced gain for the autos.  We’re not going to…