ThinkstockBefore markets opened this morning, specialty retailer rue21 Inc. (NASDAQ: RUE) and private equity firm Apax Partners announced that they had reached a definitive agreement under which funds controlled by Apax will acquire all…
thinkstockRalph Lauren Corp. (NYSE: RL) reported fourth-quarter and fiscal-year 2013 company earnings before markets opened this morning. For the quarter, the apparel company posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.41 on revenues…
ThinkstockLast year was a good year for oil and gas stocks, but unless a company had a refining and marketing operation, it was not a great year. Share prices rose by at least 80%…
ThinkstockDollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) reported first-quarter 2013 results before markets opened this morning. The discount retailer posted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.59 on revenues of $1.87 billion. In the same period…
U.S. equity markets opened barely higher this morning following a report that mortgage loan applications had fallen by 9.8% from the previous week, on top of a 7% decline for the prior period. In…
ThinkstockThe U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its weekly petroleum status report this morning. U.S. commercial crude inventories decreased by 300,000 barrels last week, bringing the total U.S. commercial crude inventory to 394.6 million…
ThinkstockThe National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports that the seasonally adjusted annual rate of existing home sales in April rose 0.6% to 4.97 million, from an upwardly revised total of 4.94 million in March.…
ThinkstockIt was perhaps inevitable that the fight between Japan’s Softbank and Dish Network Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH) over Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) would take turn in this direction. In a not-at-all-veiled attempt to paint…
ThinkstockLowe’s Companies Inc. (NYSE: LOW) reported first-quarter 2013 results before markets opened this morning. The home improvement retailer posted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.49 and $13.1 billion in revenues. In the same…
courtesy of TargetTarget Corp. (NYSE: TGT) reported first-quarter 2013 results before markets opened this morning. The big-box retailer posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.05 on $16.71 billion in revenues. In the…
ThinkstockThe Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its weekly report on mortgage applications this morning, noting a drop of 9.8% in the group’s seasonally adjusted composite index following a decline of 7.3% for the previous…
ThinkstockToll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) reported secondquarter fiscal 2013 results before markets opened this morning. The luxury homebuilder reported quarterly diluted earnings per share (EPS) $0.14 on revenues of $516 million. In the same…
ThinkstockBy far the single most common contributing program to a retiree’s household income is Social Security. And the lower a person’s retirement income, the bigger role Social Security plays. For Americans with household retirement…
U.S. equity markets opened slightly higher this morning on another day when very little economic data was released anywhere around the globe. There was no data released at all in the U.S., and in…
Courtesy Herbalife Ltd.Shares of Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE: HLF) were halted briefly shortly before noon today as we all waited breathlessly for news. When the new arrived, well, how exciting can a new auditing firm…
ThinkstockAmericans’ confidence in the U.S. economy rose to its highest level since 2008 last week, posting a reading of -5, compared with prior week reading of -11, according to the latest data from Gallup.…
ThinkstockThe U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released its annual report on U.S. ethanol production capacity for 2013. The 193 U.S. ethanol plants have a total capacity of 903,000 barrels a day, slightly more…
ThinkstockSaks Inc. (NYSE: SKS) reported first-quarter fiscal 2013 results before markets opened this morning. The luxury department store chain posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.19 and $793.2 million in revenues. In…
courtesy Best Buy Co. Inc.Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE: BBY) reported first-quarter fiscal 2014 results before markets opened this morning. The big-box retailer of electronics gear posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of…
ThinkstockThe Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) reported first-quarter 2013 diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.83 and $19.1 billion in revenues before markets opened this morning. In the same period a year ago, the…