Discount retailer Family Dollar Stores Inc. (FDO) reported its fiscal second quarter results this morning, topping analyst estimates and sending the stock higher in premarket trading.

For the quarter, Family Dollar reported it earned 98 cents per share, topping analyst estimates by a penny. During the same period last year, the company earned 81 cents per share.

Continue reading Family Dollar Earnings Top Estimates, Sending Shares Higher

Family Dollar Earnings Top Estimates, Sending Shares Higher originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Consumer Confidence Hits Three-Month Low

Consumer Confidence Hits Three-Month Low originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With earnings season in full swing, the FOMC meeting on interest rates, the GDP estimate, and housing numbers due out, the coming week is shaping up to be a busy one. So here's a peek at what's on the economic calendar.

Monday

Quarterly reports from American Express (AXP) and McDonald's (MCD) will highlight Monday. Amgen (AMGN), CSX (CSX), Halliburton (HAL) and Texas Instruments (TXN) are also expected to report strong earnings results.

Continue reading Week in Preview: GDP, FOMC Meeting, Housing Data and Lots of Earnings

Week in Preview: GDP, FOMC Meeting, Housing Data and Lots of Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 23 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Just as we are hearing that retailers had a great December, we get news from the Conference Board that U.S. consumer confidence dropped to 52.5 in December. Expectations had been for an increase to 56.9, making for quite a disparity between expectation and reality.

The director of the Conference Board's consumer research center, Lynn Franco, noted that "Consumers' assessment of the current state of the economy and labor market remains tepid, and their outlook remains cautious." Franco added that signs suggest continuing growth for the economy, "but that the pace of growth will remain moderate."

Continue reading Consumer Confidence Drops in December

Consumer Confidence Drops in December originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Even as the year winds to a close this week, there are still a handful of economic releases on the schedule. Starting out on Monday, the Chicago Fed releases its Midwest Manufacturing Index for November.

Tuesday brings the final Consumer Confidence Index of the year, as well as the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for October, the Richmond Fed's Business Surveys, and a look at chain store sales for the week leading up to Christmas.

Data on last week's initial jobless claims will be released on Thursday. And then Friday brings the New York NAPM Index and the Chicago Purchasing Managers Index.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Final Economic Data of the Year

Week in Preview: Final Economic Data of the Year originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Conference Board reported that consumer confidence rose in November to 54.1, from 49.9 in October. Those people expecting conditions to get better rose to 16.7% from 15.8%. Those expecting conditions to worsen fell to 12.1% from 14.4%. The same ratios were found for job expectations.

On the other hand, the Case-Shiller composite index of home prices fell 1.5% in the third quarter from a year ago. The index showed an even further drop of 2% in the third quarter when compared to the previous quarter.

Continue reading Consumers Are More Upbeat, but Still Wary About Big Purchases

Consumers Are More Upbeat, but Still Wary About Big Purchases originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Friday morning got off to a bearish start, a slump that wasn't helped much by the latest release of consumer sentiment data from Reuters and the University of Michigan (of course, this slow start turned positive thanks to the GDP).

Big Boo's report showed that consumer sentiment weakened from 68.2 in September to 67.7 in October. An earlier estimate for October was 67.9, with a MarketWatch poll showing an estimate for 68.5. The biggest problem facing consumers is the loss of jobs, which was the major reason for the drop in sentiment.

Continue reading Consumer Confidence Softens in October

Consumer Confidence Softens in October originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index, home prices increased during July, marking the fourth-straight month. During July, the home price index increased 0.6% compared to June and 3.2% from a year earlier. While this is good news, seven of the cities surveyed saw monthly declines, while gains in a number of the cities were weaker than a month earlier.

There is fear that the home-buying boost provided by the government tax credits is wearing off. If this is the case, we could see weak demand cropping up from the housing sector. The fear is that the record number of foreclosures, job concerns and weak demand from buyers are pointing to weaker home sales in the coming months. Nevertheless, the news will be viewed as positive. That is simply the way that many analysts will cling to good news.

Continue reading Home Prices Increase in July, but Consumer Confidence Slips

Home Prices Increase in July, but Consumer Confidence Slips originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: When Bulls Eat Crow (BIDU, GOOG, C, MU, POT, BA)

Closing Bell: When Bulls Eat Crow (BIDU, GOOG, C, MU, POT, BA) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Market Dips After Long Winning Streak (NEXM, LXK, PT, TLAB, MMM)

Closing Bell: Market Dips After Long Winning Streak (NEXM, LXK, PT, TLAB, MMM) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Most of this past week the stock market was erratic. News from Asian and American Markets was generally positive, sending the indexes higher, until unsettling news from the European Union let the air out of the tires, resulting in 100 point swings of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which ended Friday up about 50 points for the week at 10,850.36.

Each day started upbeat and then we would hear about Greek debt, bonds coming due, Germany pushing for IMF participation in any plan to help Greece. Finally when this looked to be settled, we then got news of economic turmoil in Portugal. This activity stimulated me to write the following recent commentary:

Continue reading Sunday Funnies: Retail Sales and Investors

Sunday Funnies: Retail Sales and Investors originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 28 Mar 2010 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing bell: Market Lacks Conviction, Again (AAPL, NOK)

Closing bell: Market Lacks Conviction, Again (AAPL, NOK) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cal-Maine Foods Inc. (CALM) is about the only company of note scheduled to release earning results in what will otherwise be a very quiet week between the holidays.

The three months that ended in November saw the poultry industry embroiled in an environment-related lawsuit, and Cal-Maine also ended its streak of special dividends when it reported a first-quarter loss.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: The CALM Between the Holidays

The Week in Preview: The CALM Between the Holidays originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 27 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Perhaps lost in all the Tiger Woods related news surrounding the company is Thursday's earnings announcement from Nike (NKE).

Late in the day, Nike announced second-quarter earnings of $375 million, or 76 cents per share. A year ago, Nike raked in $391 million, or 80 cents per share. Total revenue for Nike dropped 4% to $4.4 billion. The Street expected Nike to report earnings of 71 cents per share on revenue of $4.4 billion.

Continue reading A Look at Nike's Earnings Report

A Look at Nike's Earnings Report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Retail sales rise more than expected last month

Retail sales rise more than expected last month originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The index is now 3.2 points below its 12 month average of 48 and 2.4 points above its reading of 44.4 in December 2007, when the recession began.

Continue reading U.S. consumer confidence slips in December

U.S. consumer confidence slips in December originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The conventional wisdom is that consumer spending is what drives the U.S. economy. And consumer spending arises out of consumer confidence. Unfortunately, the signals along the road to economic recovery are mixed, what with the rising GDP growth and the dismal unemployment numbers. Its enough to leave investors scratching their heads. What barometers of consumer confidence will the coming week bring?

The TIPP Economic Optimism Index for November is scheduled for Tuesday, and the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index for November is due out Friday.

Continue reading The week in preview: Earnings from Walmart, Macy's, and other retailers

The week in preview: Earnings from Walmart, Macy's, and other retailers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Consumer confidence ticked upward for the first time since 2007. Around the world, consumers are becoming more comfortable with the prospect of shelling out some cash, even if they're still approaching the notion with caution.

According to a survey conducted by The Nielsen Company between September 28 and October 16, 2009, consumer confidence was highest in India, with Indonesia and Norway following. Japan, Latvia, Portugal, and South Korea were at the other end of the spectrum, though South Korea did show a significant quarterly improvement.

Continue reading Consumer confidence up around the world, a first since 2007

Consumer confidence up around the world, a first since 2007 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Oil prices fall as consumer confidence drops

Oil prices fall as consumer confidence drops originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Consumer confidence drops unexpectedly

Consumer confidence drops unexpectedly originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.