'Retail Renting' or Stealing? Stores Crack Down

S&P 500, Nasdaq also rise

(NEWSER) - Markets are up, at least for now: The Dow was up more than 100 points at open, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq following suit, up about 11 and 13 points, respectively, MarketWatch reports. An upbeat report on retail sales no doubt prodded stocks upward: July sales rose a seasonally adjusted 0.5%, their biggest gain in four months. Currently the Dow is hovering in the 11,200 range. More»

$41.2B weekend total beats 2008 haul by $1.2B

(NEWSER) - Thanksgiving weekend retail sales totaled $41.2 billion, a .5% jump over last year's $41 billion, but the average shopper spent 8% less than in 2008, $343.31 against $372.57. Discounts, especially on electronics and toys, were the overwhelming attraction as cautious consumers pried open their wallets, Bloomberg reports. Retailers "know they have their work cut out for them to keep people coming back through Christmas," said the head of the National Retail Federation. More»

Stores launch summer promotions to snag holiday dollars early

(NEWSER) - It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in malls across the country as stores angle for some extremely early holiday dollars, the Wall Street Journal reports. Retailers like Toys'R'US, Sears and Kmart have dragged Santa away from his summer break and launched July Christmas promotions, hoping to boost sales with a touch of festive spirit and help recession-hit consumers spread out their holiday spending. More»

Firms split on whether the bottom has been reached

(NEWSER) - Some major companies are slowly becoming optimistic about the economy again, the Wall Street Journal reports. Delta Airlines says seat sales are almost at the level they were a year ago and United Technologies says its decline in orders is stabilizing. Intel is among the most upbeat, saying "the worst is now behind us" and no drop in revenue is expected this quarter. More»

(NEWSER) - Stocks gained today despite retailers' dour holiday prospects, because the market has already priced in much of the bad news, MarketWatch reports. Amid very light trading, the Dow gained 102.43 points to close at 8,829.04, extending its positive streak into a fifth day. "There's a bit of confidence returning," said an economist. "This market has discounted a lot of negative news." The Nasdaq eked out a 3.47-point gain, closing at 1,535.57, while the S&P 500 rose 8.56 to settle at 896.24. More»