Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• Acuity Brands Inc. (AYI) Q2 results were essentially flat but an analyst's upgraded helped boost shares.
• Borders Group Inc. (BGP) reported strong Q4 earnings due to cost cutting but revenue continued to decline.
• Cal-Maine Foods Inc. (CALM) received an analyst's downgrade on valuation following release of its Q3 report.
• CarMax Inc. (KMX) rose to a new 52-week high following better-than-expected Q4 earnings and sales results.
• Charming Shoppes Inc. (CHRS) posted a smaller-than-expected Q4 net loss and said same-store sales declined.

Earlier this morning, Charming Shoppes (CHRS) released its fourth-quarter earnings results -- which perhaps were overshadowed a bit by the glut of tech news. Let's take a look at how the apparel retailer (which includes store brands Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, Catherines, and Petit Sophisticate Outlet) performed in the last quarter. Sales for the most recent quarter dropped 4% at stores open at least a year. Yes, the company's year-over-year loss wasn't quite as bad, when taking one-time items out of the equation (a 10-cent loss versus expectations for a 13-cent loss) -- but it was the drop in sales that have the shares more than 14% lower this afternoon.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says our problems are so widespread, he sees lots more IndyMacs before we're out.

You don't need me to tell you it's awful out there. You don't need me to tell you that there's no quick fix for any of these things. But what might help you understand why it feels so bad this time is that I have never, in my career, seen so many companies go off track at the same time. This is one unbelievable moment, and it is made more horrible by the day as companies' stocks just get pummeled, causing people to then question the very viability of the companies involved.

First, obviously, are Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM) (Cramer's Take) and Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE) (Cramer's Take). We don't know what will happen, but we do know that their futures are much darker than their pasts. Their best hope: a Democrat becomes president and shows the usual love to both. But as investments, they are pretty much perma-losers going forward. The losses are that heavy. Yes, it is true that two years from now they will be better, but will the government let them limp through to that? View them as calls on a Democratic win.

We all know that Citigroup (NYSE: C) (Cramer's Take), Wachovia (NYSE: WB) (Cramer's Take), Washington Mutual (NYSE: WM) (Cramer's Take) and National City (NYSE: NCC) (Cramer's Take) are in trouble. Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) (Cramer's Take) says it isn't in trouble, but obviously the market doesn't believe management because the stock failed to rally when it said its dividend was safe. Any short-selling hedge fund could hire 30 actors and have them line up at a Washington Mutual or two and get a bank run going. Then we would have to hear about a "hasty" Treasury department plan to bail out WM. Hasty? How can these guys not see it coming?

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Aeropostale Inc. (NYSE: ARO) posted strong Q1 results on increased same-store sales.
• Analog Devices Inc. (NYSE: ADI) reported solid Q2 results and raised its Q3 guidance.
• BMC Software Inc. (NYSE: BMC) Q4 results beat estimates and it raised its full-year guidance.
• Charming Shoppes Inc. (NASDAQ: CHRS) posted a Q1 loss its worst sales decline in years.
• Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) warned that it doesn't expect 2009 profit despite some strength overseas.
• Gymboree Corp. (NASDAQ: GYMB) reported strong Q1 results due to higher retail sales.
• Hormel Foods Corp. (NYSE: HRL) posted solid Q2 results that beat Wall Street estimates by a penny.
• Intuitive Surgical Inc. (NASDAQ: ISRG) warned that it might not meet expectations for 2008.
• Limited Brands Inc. (NYSE: LTD) disappointing Q1 results were offset by a one-time sale of an asset.
• PetSmart Inc. (NASDAQ: PETM) posted weak Q1 results that beat estimates, and offered weak guidance.
• Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE: CRM) reported strong Q1 results that led to analyst upgrades.
• Talbots Inc. (NYSE: TLB) restructuring costs and soft same-store sales dragged down Q1 earnings.
• Toro Co. (NYSE: TTC) Q2 profits and revenues declined but beat low expectations of analysts.

Additional earnings highlights:
Home Depot, Gap, Lenovo, Air France, Activision, Suntech and others
Hewlett-Packard, Target, Barnes & Noble, Campbell, Staples and others

Upcoming results to watch for include Borders (NYSE: BGP), Polo Ralph Lauren (NYSE: RL), TiVo (NASDAQ: TIVO), Big Lots (NYSE: BIG), Costco (NASDAQ: COST), Dell (NASDAQ: DELL), HJ Heinz (NYSE: HNZ), Sears (NASDAQ: SHLD), Lions Gate (NYSE: LGF), and Tiffany (NYSE: TIF).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

First quarter results for apparel retailers reporting earnings on Wednesday were mixed, as consumers continue to scale back their spending.

Talbots Inc. (NYSE: TLB) first-quarter profit dropped 69% to 3 cents per share, hurt by noncore operations and restructuring charges. Same-store sales fell 9.8% during the quarter, and revenue fell 5% to $542.4 million, which missed the estimates of analysts polled by Thomson Financial. Shares rose 6% Wednesday to $7.88.

Hot Topic Inc. (NASDAQ: HOTT) first-quarter loss widened to 3 cents per share due to a 2.8% drop in same-store sales. Revenue rose 1.1% to $159 million. Analysts had expected a loss of 4 cents per share on $159.3 million in revenue. Shares fell 13 cents, or 2.6%, to $4.84.

Tween Brands Inc. (NYSE: TWB) first-quarter profit declined on a hefty charge, but results still topped Wall Street expectations. Adjusted earnings per share were 21 cents, and revenues rose to $251.7 million. Analysts had expected 16 cents in earnings per share and sales of $242 million. Total same-store sales decreased 1%. Shares fell more than 10% to $19.20, but rebounded 7.5% in after-hours trading.

Yesterday we learned that Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) is taking another shot at the movie promotion business by pushing (for a cut of the action) the National Geographic movie "Arctic Tale." Starbuck's initial effort, last year's "Akeela and the Bee," had indifferent results.

While most of the big releases for 2007 already have commercial tie-ins, I thought about other companies that might make money by offering some targeted marketing. Perhaps

• Ratatouille -- KFC (Yum Brands, NYSE: YUM)
• The 40-year old Virgin -- Weight Watchers Intl (NYSE: WTW)
• Sicko -- The Church of Scientology
• Live Free or Die Hard -- Viagra (Pfizer, NYSE: PFE)
• Evan Almighty -- Chris Craft
• Transformers: The Mitt Romney Campaign
• The Simpsons Movie: Sylvan Learning
• Hairspray: Lane Bryant (Charming Shoppes, Inc., NASDAQ: CHRS)
• Hostel: Part II -- Hilton Hotels (NYSE: HLT)
• 1408 -- Hostelling International

And, as a special subscriber gift offer promotion,

• The Wall Street Journal (Dow Jones, NYSE: DJ) -- Citizen Kane

Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) yesterday told Wall Street that it expects June sales to come in at the lower end of its previous forecast of 3% to 5% gain.

In April, U.S. retail chains reported the weakest sales results on record, according to Reuters. While rebounding somewhat in May, sales results were weaker than a year ago. This follows Charming Shoppes Inc (NASDAQ: CHRS), Wendy's International Inc (NYSE: WEN), Best Buy Incorporated (NYSE: BBY) and Circuit City Stores Inc (NYSE: CC), all having come up short.

This is not the end of the world, simply the Fed successfully slowing down growth. Investors should view a slowdown in consumer spending as a stepping stone for the Fed to start dropping rates.