U.S. stocks recovered from earlier losses late Tuesday to closed mixed amid an uncertain situation in Greece, where political leaders are scrambling to secure a second bailout and avoid a default.
Retail sales rose in January, but were dragged down by an unexpected decline in auto sales, according to government data released Tuesday.
updated: Thu Jan 19 2012 14:55:00
While sales drop in Europe's high streets, the luxury market is thriving. CNN's Juliet Mann investigates.
Retail sales may have fallen in Europe over the last year but the continent's top luxury brands are keeping the cash registers ringing.
Consumers pulled back on their spending in December despite the holiday shopping season, according to a government report released Thursday.
It may not be over yet, but retailers are breathing a sigh of relief and celebrating a successful holiday season, thanks to a last-minute surge in sales.
Electronics retailer Best Buy reported a large drop in quarterly earnings Tuesday, as weak sales in the months leading up to Thanksgiving cast a shadow on the all-important holiday season.
Consumers slowed the pace of their shopping in November, but that might not bode ill for the entire holiday season.
American car buyers were out in force in November, with U.S. automakers leading the way to the best month for auto sales since 2009's "Cash for Clunkers" program.
On the heels of a record Black Friday followed by a Cyber Monday that went down as the highest-grossing online shopping day in U.S. history, there's one thing retailers know for sure -- shoppers love a good deal.
Even though shoppers showed up in droves and spent a record amount of money over Black Friday weekend, it's still too early to tell whether that holiday sales momentum will continue through Christmas.
The holiday shopping season reportedly got off to a strong start this past weekend. But don't expect to find a thriving U.S. economy under the Christmas tree this year.
Earlier than ever store openings and steep discounts helped retailers notch record sales this Black Friday weekend, according to early reports.
Preliminary reports for Black Friday indicate that retailers may have seen their strongest sales ever during the all-important kick-off to the holiday shopping season.
Wal-Mart's same-store sales crept up in recent months, reversing last year's losses and trumping expectations, prompting the world's largest retailer to provide a sunny forecast for the holidays.
Consumers kept hitting the stores in October, despite economic headwinds and uncertainty that many economists had feared would keep them from spending.
Most major automakers reported sales gains in October, although the increases were a bit softer than hoped for ahead of Tuesday's sales reports.
Unemployment might be high, but the people who work continue to shop. The consumer is not dead, and the recently lower gasoline prices are certainly opening more room for discretionary spending.
Americans boosted their shopping in July, allaying -- for now -- fears of a consumer slowdown that might stall the economy.
U.S. stocks were set for a higher open Friday, following a choppy week of trading and huge gains in the previous session, as investors reacted to a healthy report on retail sales.
Retail sales fell in May, dragged lower by slumping auto sales and marking the first decline in 11 months, the government said Tuesday.
Chrysler Group sales bucked an industry slide last month as the automaker's redesigned models contributed to a 10% increase compared to last year.
Retail sales rose in April for the ninth month in a row, helped by higher prices for gasoline and food, the government said Thursday.
Retailers booked another strong month of sales in April, thanks to a rush of Easter shopping.
Store sales rose slightly in March, aided by a surge in furniture and home furnishings, and robust gains in electronics and gasoline sales, the government reported Wednesday.
An oil spike has a way of making market watchers nervous, and retail investors are no exception. After going on a tear in 2009 and 2010 -- the S&P 500 retail index rose 78% and 37%, respectively, more than doubling the performance of the broader index in both years -- retail stocks have begun to falter. Surging gas prices have cast a pall over the sector, which is up just 0.7% so far this year, while the S&P is up 3.4%.
Rising gas prices did not keep Americans from buying large pickups and SUVs in February, according to sales results from leading automakers.
Retailers logged slight increases in store sales last month as consumers primarily focused on paying for grocery and gasoline purchases, the government reported Tuesday.
Retail sales in the 2010 holiday season showed the biggest percentage gain in six years, an industry group said Friday, while a separate government report showed a December sales increase on strength in e-commerce.
Holiday sales lost speed in December after a strong surge in the prior month, with many store chains reporting softer-than-expected monthly results Thursday.
As the curtain lifts on 2011, the nation's retailers are celebrating one of the most robust holiday sales periods that they've had in years.
Retailers may have lost $1 billion of crucial post-Christmas sales because of the blizzard that struck over the holiday weekend, according to a report Wednesday.
The blizzard that walloped the U.S. East Coast over the holiday weekend struck retailers at a pivotal time, burying their crucial post-Christmas sales under a heavy blanket of snow.
Just in time for the holiday shopping season: Americans earned and spent more money in November than they did during the previous month. They also saved less.
Best Buy's stock plunged on Tuesday after the retailer reported sales and earnings for the quarter which includes Black Friday that missed Wall Street's estimates. The company also lowered its guidance.
Retail sales were solidly higher in November, the government reported Tuesday, fueled in part by deep discounting on holiday merchandise.
U.S. stocks were set to open almost flat Tuesday amid of a slew of economic data, and as investors continue to await resolution on a tax cut deal in Washington.
Gift cards seem to have lost their status as the perennial favorite of procrastinators this year as shoppers are showing a preference to give traditional gifts, and even cash.
U.S. stocks rallied 1% Thursday, building on the previous session's big gains, as investors cheered strong retail sales and welcomed the European Central Bank's plan to extend liquidity measures.
A full month of deals, capped off by extra-deep Black Friday discounts, gave a boost to retailers' store sales in November in a solid kickoff to the holiday season.
Like a football coach preparing for a rival, Nicki Shoulders has been seriously game-planning for Black Friday -- right down to the play sheet.
updated: Mon Nov 29 2010 18:37:00
Customers await for a Sears store in Burbank, California, to open for some holiday shopping.
Preliminary reports of sales on Black Friday weekend are coming in.
After two-years of belt tightening, consumers are feeling the urge to splurge on this year's hottest holiday deals. Retailers eager to lure shoppers in are slashing prices -- even before Black Friday.
If you believe the stock market, the American consumer is healthier than they've been in years and ready to go on a major shopping spree during the holidays.
Retail sales rose for a fourth straight month in October, the government reported Monday, signaling that consumers are keeping their wallets open as the holiday shopping period approaches.
Retailers reported strong sales results for October on Thursday despite the still-struggling economy.
Wal-Mart's CEO told analysts Wednesday that although the world's largest retailer has been losing sales to its competitors this year, he expects sales to improve in the critical holiday shopping season.
Retail sales rose in September, the government reported Friday, fueling hopes that momentum will translate into a robust holiday shopping season for retailers.
Retailers on Thursday reported strong sales results for September, as shoppers loaded up on discounted items amid the still-struggling economy.
As the holidays approach, consumers are getting back in the buying mood, but only if the price is right.
Automakers continued to spin their wheels during September, with sales struggling to match the modest levels posted the month before.
Keeping your fingers crossed for a temp job during the holiday shopping rush?
The road to economic recovery is still rocky, but American consumers are slowly starting to spend again.
Retailers reported surprisingly strong August same-store sales as many consumers braved scorching summer temperatures to bag juicy discounts on school-related products.
After two months of declines, retail sales rebounded in July, the government said Friday.
Retail sales fell for the second straight month in June, following seven consecutive increases, with weakness in the automotive sector a key factor in the downturn, the government said Wednesday.
Most major automakers reported U.S. sales strongly up from a year ago, but weaker than both May's sales levels and industry forecasts.
The dollar turned higher Friday after data showed U.S. retail sales were surprisingly weak in May, sparking risk aversion.
Retail sales fell for the first time in eight months in May, the government said Friday, widely missing analyst expectations.
U.S. stocks were set to slide Friday, after a downbeat May retail sales report was released before the bell.
Dollar General was one of the few retail bright spots during the recession. Its success was a direct barometer of the economy: The worse Americans felt about their finances, the more they sought out the retailer's low-priced goods.
Major automakers all reported large gains in May sales, with industry totals helped greatly by a spike in sales to business customers rather than to individual consumers.
Wal-Mart reported record first-quarter sales and profits Tuesday that beat analyst expectations. Shares of the world's largest retailer rose more than 2% on the news.
Retail sales rose in April, the government reported Friday, as consumers continued to show signs of returning to stores.
Retail sales posted the eighth straight monthly gain in April, but increases were weak after March's data posted the biggest jump on record.
Major automakers posted double-digit gains in U.S. sales in April compared to the battered sales of a year ago, but the overall pace of sales fell short of March results.
Retail sales soared in March, the government said Wednesday, in the latest sign of improving consumer confidence.
Retail sales rose in February, the government said Friday, surprising economists who expected a decline.
Stocks ended a volatile session higher Thursday as investors welcomed improved retail sales and a report showing that the pace of job losses is slowing, ahead of Friday's big government employment report.
Wal-Mart Stores posted a quarterly profit Thursday that beat Wall Street's expectations, but the retailer's store sales dropped during the period that included the all-important year-end holiday sales.
Retail sales rose in January, driven by strength in discount retailers and online merchants, according to a government report Friday.
Want more proof that the U.S. economy is still in a fragile state? Consider this. People are still holding back on buying burgers, soda and beer. So much for fast food, soft drinks and booze being recession-proof.
U.S. auto sales rose 6% in January, although results were generally disappointing. Sales were hurt by weak demand from consumers and the well-publicized problems at Toyota Motor.
Retail sales fell in December, the government reported Thursday, putting a damper on hopes that the holiday shopping season would boost figures.
The nation's merchants scored a surprising increase in their crucial year-end holiday sales, countering expectations of a decline, according to an industry report issued Thursday.
After a very long and painful wait for retailers, shoppers finally came through in the last month of the year to lift crucial holiday store sales.
An initial report on the holiday shopping season issued Monday showed a solid year-over-year gain, both in stores and online.
Shoppers may have boosted retailers with slightly better sales this year. But only when compared to a disastrous 2008. And that's no guarantee that consumers' shop 'til you drop mentality is back.
Retail sales jumped 1.3% in November, according to the Commerce Department, well more than the expected increase.
Retailers placed a lot of hope on the Thanksgiving weekend gift buying this year, but merchants failed to get the big sales boost they were seeking.
They came by truck, by van and even by taxi.
Retail sales in October rose more than analysts expected, the government reported Monday.
Investors will brace for a spate of economic reports this week with their fingers crossed that there is more good news than bad since that will set the tone for the remaining seven weeks of the year.
Welcome to the bizarre world of Wall Street where good news is often bad news simply because it isn't good enough.
Wal-Mart Stores reported a third-quarter profit Thursday that beat analysts' estimates while its store sales fell in the period amid a "difficult" selling environment.
Despite much hope that Americans are finally thawing out of their year-long self-imposed shopping freeze, store sales last month were good in pockets -- but not great, as many analysts were hoping.
Major automakers reported Tuesday that their October sales rebounded following a weak September, as an increase in the number of cars available at dealers helped to get sales moving once again.
Christmas has come early for retail stocks. The Standard & Poor's Retail Index is up 72% from its lows in March, compared with a 61% gain in the broader S&P 500 Index over the same period.
Retail sales fell in September after a popular program aimed at boosting auto sales ended, but the drop was smaller than economists had expected, government data showed Wednesday.
Santa's load will be lighter once again, with crucial year-end holiday sales expected to decline for a second year in a row, according to an industry forecast Tuesday.
Wal-Mart is looking to jump-start holiday sales by expanding last year's $10 toy incentive tenfold, the company said Wednesday.
A key measure of consumer confidence fell in September, after a gain in the previous month, raising concerns about retail sales in the upcoming holiday season, a research group said Tuesday.
Retail sales surged in August, with the Cash for Clunkers program giving auto sales an extra boost, the government reported Tuesday.
Soaring unemployment and stagnant consumer spending have stalled at office-supply chain Staples, which reported a 38% decline in quarterly profit Tuesday morning.
Stocks ended higher Thursday after a choppy session, as the Fed's economic outlook and a positive government debt auction overshadowed a report showing a surprise drop in retail sales.
Two key reports Thursday showed one thing: happy days are not here again for American consumers.
Retail sales fell unexpectedly in July after two straight months of gains, the government reported Thursday.
Retail sales rose for the second straight month in June, the government reported Tuesday, but the gains came mostly from auto purchases, higher gas prices and a modest pick up in electronics sales.
Most major automakers reported weaker than expected U.S. sales for June, proving yet again that the industry's pain hasn't ended. But there are some glimmers of hope.
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