Macy's (M) is up against the same hard rock as other large retailers who cater to the middle class, Sears (SHLD) and Nordstrom (JWN). Sales are being crippled... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]...

Several estimates from retail analysts predict the tens of thousands of retail outlets will close this year. Some put the number as high as 70,000 in the first half of 2009. Wall St. is bracing for a large number of bankruptcies in the sector, some of them public companies. But, the largest fifteen ...

You might have thought with the 3 day weekend behind them, traders would be well rested, and ready to go. They sure didn't look rested -- only confused: Tuesday's gap open was sold, Wednesday's gap down was bought, Thursday's opening pop was sold hard, and Friday's sell off was aggressively bought. ...

One of the misunderstandings about recessions is what actually happens in the real world. A recession is where economic growth stops, and you are left with flat to contracting sales. Note that economic activity does not grind to a halt -- the year-over-year growth rate merely slips into the negative...