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May 21, 2014 Bad weather for retail dampened sales at Lowe’s, but earnings surged well into the double digits for the first quarter, the company announced Wednesday morning. Lowe’s sales increased 2.4% in the first quarter, rising to $13.4 billion.  Comparable-store sales increased 0.9%. The Mooresville, North Carolina-based retail giant reported a net earnings surge... Read more »

May 22, 2104 The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.4 percent in April to 101.4, following a 1.0 percent increase in March, and a 0.5 percent increase in February. “The LEI rose for the third consecutive month, driven largely by improving housing and financial market conditions,” said Ataman Ozyildrim, Economist... Read more »

May 20, 2014 Store closures and weak demand for traditional office supplies and computers hurt Staples in the first quarter of fiscal 2014. The company attributed a 44% drop in net earnings during the quarter to lower sales caused by store closures and a rise in the value of the dollar.  But according to reports,... Read more »

May 13, 2014 Slightly lower median home prices along with steady mortgage rates contributed to higher housing affordability in the first quarter, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), released today. In all, 65.5 percent of new and existing homes sold between the beginning of January and end of... Read more »

May 20, 2014 Despite getting a slow start to the year, The Home Depot rallied in the first quarter thanks to solid results in non-weather-impacted markets. The home improvement retailer reported first quarter sales of $19.7 billion, up 2.9% from last year’s first quarter.  Comparable store sales were up 2.6%.  Comp-store sales for U.S. stores... Read more »

May 19, 2014 Last week:  In a data heavy week, it’s hard to imagine that the big news of the week came from the financial markets.  And, it was driven not by domestic considerations but what is happening overseas.  The backdrop is the continuing tapering by the Federal Reserve.  Where it once bought $85 billion... Read more »

May 16, 2014 While other retailers saw sales affected by a winter that overstayed its welcome, Dillard’s marked its 15th consecutive quarter of positive sales. Despite weak sales in home and furniture, Dillard’s said sales trends in the first quarter were strongest in the men’s apparel and accessories category and the junior’s and children’s apparel... Read more »

May 16, 2014 Nordstrom’s full line stores saw first quarter same store sales decline but the department store operator’s off price Rack division is doing just fine. Total sales increased 6.8% to $2.8 billion with top-performing categories including accessories, women’s shoes, and cosmetics.  A 3.9% overall same store sales increase was comprised of a 1.9%... Read more »

May 15, 2014 Kohl’s joins a growing list of retailers whose first quarter results took a hit from a severe and extended winter.  Despite missing estimates, the company is staying firm on its guidance for the full fiscal year. The company reported net sales for the quarter of $4.07 billion, a 3.1% decrease from $4.2... Read more »