Retail Sales Reflect Depressed Consumer Confidence

September 4, 2008 1:12 PM EDT

The first Thursday of every month is the day when most retailers release their sales results from the prior month. With the U.S. markets still sliding and the rest of the world now beginning to feel the ripple from this slowdown, the retail results were sobering, to say the least, especially when considering that retail is often viewed as an early cycle sector. Below is a summary of some of the more notable results:

• Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) saw August same store sales up 3%; the stock is currently up 1.17% to $60.48.
  
• Limited Brands (NYSE: LTD) reported that its comps fell 7% during the month; the stock is down 5% today
  
• The Buckle's (NYSE: BKE) same store sales for August rose 22.4%; the stock is up nearly 4%
  
• American Apparel (AMEX: APP) August comps rose 34%; the stock is currently up 4%
  
• Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) same store sales for August were down 11%; ANF is down 6%
  
• TJX Companies (NYSE: TJX) reported its comps were up 4%, but the stock is still seeing downside in today's sharply lower market. The stock is currently down more than 6%
  
• Target (NYSE: TGT) saw same store sales fall 2.1% in August; however, the stock is treading water today, up 0.05%
  
• Chico's FAS (NYSE: CHS) saw comps for August fall 10%, but the stock is seeing upside of more than 5% today

In order to receive retail results in real time as the news is released, investors can tune into StreetInsider.com's coverage of retail sales every first Thursday of the month: from the homepage, click the "SI Premium" tab at the top of the page. From there, scroll down and click on the "Retail Sales" link which is located on the left side of the page in the blue box titled Premium Content. As StreetInsider.com reporters put out the retail results as they become available, this page will automatically refresh itself when a news item is added.

Premium members of StreetInsider.com can also set up e-mail alerts that will alert users anytime a news item is added to a certain category. To do this, click the "E-mail Alerts" tab at the top of the site and simply click the Retail Sales box and click "Update E-mail Alerts".

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