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Filed under: Consumer experience, Stocks to Sell

While consumer confidence might have soared in April, the move seems to be in response to a two-month surge in stocks versus any real strength on the home front.

The jobs market is still poor with stagnant or declining wages. Corporations are still in lay-off mode and oil prices are marching ever higher. In other words, there are still hurdles to overcome before the "all clear" can be given.

I don't mean to rain on the parade of recovery, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.

The owner of the Justice and Limited Too brands that focuses on the tween girls category (7-14 year olds) has been crushed by the markets and the weak economy.

Oddly though, Tween Brands (TWB) has been crushed much more by the markets then the likes of Children's Place (PLCE), Gymboree (GYMB), and Pacific Sunwear (PSUN). Was it because of the the move to transition all of the Limited Too stores to the much better performing Justice brand?

Filed under: Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Analyst initiations, Urban Outfitters (URBN)

Filed under: Wal-Mart (WMT), Costco Wholesale (COST), Limited Brands (LTD), Recession

Even though Black Friday sales were better than expected, most retailers saw their November sales plunge. As I posted in April, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) would likely benefit from consumers' recession diet. That has proven to be a fairly safe bet, but the scary thing is that just about every other retailer is taking a hit.

Filed under: Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Research in Motion (RIMM), Analyst initiations

Analyst upgrades: