PMR: PowerShares Dynamic Retail Portfolio ETF Market Currents Page 2

Quote & Headlines Market Currents StockTalk

All
| Earnings
| Dividends
| M&A
| On the move

Tuesday, December 27, 2011, 4:30 AM Online shopping jumped 16.4% on Christmas from the year before, according to data released by IBM, while the dollar value of purchases made on mobile devices jumped 172.9%. In fact, nearly 7% of all online purchases on Christmas Day were made using iPads. The uptick was poised to continue yesterday, though final data isn't yet available. Comment! [Consumer, Tech]
Friday, December 23, 2011, 1:32 PM Though retailers have had to offer major discounts to drive sales, the stars appear to be aligning for a decent close to the holiday season. The weather has mostly been moderate, and is expected to remain so over the next week, and Christmas Eve lands on a Saturday. Moreover, one survey found 30% of consumer had holiday shopping to do this weekend, up from 26% last year. (previously) Comment! [Consumer, U.S. Economy]
Friday, December 23, 2011, 1:06 PM Miscalculating their pricing power, apparel retailers see their inventory-to-sales ratio move to a 2-year high, bucking a falling trend amongst the rest of the industry. In the meantime, costs continue their rapid rise, suggesting the margin pinch will continue. Comment! [Consumer, U.S. Economy]
Friday, December 23, 2011, 7:44 AM Optimistic plans by retailers entering the holiday season are not panning out, says consultant David Bassuk, resulting in pre-Christmas markdowns that are more widespread than typical. Nomura analyst Paul Jejuez, after a weekend surveying malls, is concerned - "You have to be at 40% off to drive traffic." 5 Comments [U.S. Economy, Consumer]
Monday, December 19, 2011, 12:24 PM A new Goldman Sachs report highlights that Target (TGT -1.1%) may be the poster child for an ongoing theme of retailers offering lower and lower prices in order to grab market share (Retailer margin shock: I, II). The firm's data tallies that Target holds a 18.7% pricing edge on toys over comparable products at rival Wal-Mart (WMT -0.6%), and an even bigger gap with Amazon (AMZN +0.1%). But will TGT's big bet on low-priced toys ultimately lead to profits from shoppers loading up on other items at the expense of other merchandise retailers? 1 Comment [Consumer, Quick Ideas]
Wednesday, December 14, 2011, 2:32 PM Margin declines at retailers are all the rage (I, II) as discounting keeps accelerating with savvy consumers waiting for the best deals. Latest analyst margin estimate cuts: GPS 32.7% from 38.2%, JCP 36.7% from 38.2%, M 41% from 41.3%, ANF 60.1% from 63.6%. Comment! [Consumer]
Tuesday, December 13, 2011, 12:08 PM A group of retailers protest the conclusions of a credit card study sponsored - not coincidentally - by credit card giants such as Mastercard (MC), Visa (V), and American Express (AXP). Though the data from the credit card outfit claims stores are pocketing the difference from paying less in interchange fees to the tune of $825M since Oct. 1 and on pace for $8B in savings this year, the Merchants Payments Coalition isn't buying it. "Calling this research amateurish would be an insult to amateurs." Comment! [Consumer, Quick Ideas]
Wednesday, April 13, 2011, 8:20 AM Economists estimate that growth in retail sales slowed to 0.5% in March from 1% in February, indicating that higher costs for fuel and food are restraining consumer spending. The figures, from the Commerce Department, are due out in ten minutes. 1 Comment [U.S. Economy, Consumer]
Thursday, April 7, 2011, 1:41 PM Rising oil prices can't kill the retail rally, Stuart Frankel's Steve Grasso says; shorting retailers because of crude gains "has proved to be the worst bet you could have made." Retail's up around 52-week highs (XRT +1.1%, RTH +0.4%) after most of this morning's same-store reports beat expectations, and Grasso expects more of the same through April and May. 9 Comments
Monday, March 21, 2011, 7:56 AM Tiffany's (TIF) strong Q4 bodes well for sellers of luxury goods. Gross margin rose more than two points to 60.9%, "with the increase primarily reflecting the recapture of higher product costs through retail price increases." Ex-forex fluctuations, worldwide sales surged 12%, and comps were up 8%. TIF +5% premarket. (PR) 3 Comments
Thursday, January 6, 2011, 8:24 AM Retailers moving premarket on same-store sales beats/misses (I, II...): ANF +0.4%, AEO -6.7%, DDS +1.55%, GPS -6.6%, M -3.1%, TGT -5.4%, WTSLA -4.1%, ZUMZ -7.4%. Comment!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010, 8:56 AM There was much excitement about the revival in consumer spending this holiday season, but the celebration may have been premature. Many consumers simply plan to cut back in January to make up for their splurges in December. 4 Comments
Monday, December 27, 2010, 10:55 AM More snow fallout: With Eastern U.S. storms shaking up one of the year's busiest shopping days, retailers might have to deepen discounts to get snowbound shoppers out of their homes: "Look for sales to be repeated... They’re going to be more aggressive. They’ve got to throw another party." 3 Comments
Monday, December 27, 2010, 8:19 AM Retailers from Best Buy (BBY) to Macy's (M) are lifting restrictive return policies, hoping to stay ahead of the competition and make consumers feel more comfortable about making purchases. Comment!
Monday, December 20, 2010, 10:46 AM American Eagle (AEO) is -4.5% after getting downgraded to Neutral by Susquehanna analysts who expect American Eagle's shares to enter "a holding pattern with no meaningful catalyst to drive near-term appreciation.” Rivals are down too: ARO -2.2%, ANF -1.4%. Comment!
Thursday, December 2, 2010, 8:24 AM Costco (COST +1%) is getting a nice bounce premarket after reporting a 9% rise in same-store sales vs. expectations of +6.3%. Excluding fluctuations in currencies and gasoline prices, sales were up 6%. Other retailers are showing similar strength (I, II). Comment!

PMR PowerShares Dynamic Retail Portfolio ETF

PMR

PowerShares Dynamic Retail Portfolio ETF