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When These Companies Recover, We Recover

The signs of the turnaround will come from everyday businesses

By Clay Dillow,  Newser Staff

Posted Feb 10, 2009 10:44 AM CST
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(Newser) – The companies best-positioned to weather the recession are market-share leaders or those that sell everyday necessities, writes Douglas A. McIntyre in Newsweek. But the economic bellwethers that will herald the recovery are more likely No. 2 or No. 3 in their industries, like Target, whose quarterly numbers should indicate when consumers are ready to buy retail again. A few more to watch:

  • Starbucks: When the bastion of middle-income beverage shows improvement, modest discretionary spending is rebounding.
  • Staples: An improvement in sales at this office supply chain means small businesses—the most difficult to gauge—are gearing up.
  • CBS: When marketers ratchet up ad dollar spending, it indicates corporations see better days ahead.
  • E*Trade: A rising asset-per-customer number means individual investors are ready to wade back into stocks, a good sign for everyone.

In this Nov. 27, 2007 file photo, a shopper enters a two-level Staples store in Los Angeles. Staples is considered an economic indicator for the health of small business.
In this Nov. 27, 2007 file photo, a shopper enters a two-level Staples store in Los Angeles. Staples is considered an economic indicator for the health of small business.   (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
Target is expected to struggle through the recession, but signs of its turnaround should herald an overall return of solid retail sales, an indicator of recovery.
Target is expected to struggle through the recession, but signs of its turnaround should herald an overall return of solid retail sales, an indicator of recovery.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
When middle-income consumers return to Starbucks in droves, we'll know modest discretionary spending is on the rise.
When middle-income consumers return to Starbucks in droves, we'll know modest discretionary spending is on the rise.   (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
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Starbucks to offer coffee-breakfast deals more akin to fast food
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Target down, Wal Mart up in same store sales for January
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CBS • Starbucks • Staples • E Trade • Target • economy • financial crisis

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