| the consumer discretionary sector |
| is posting earnings 348% higher than a year ago and 30% above what analysts had predicted. |
| In 2009, the S&P Consumer Discretionary index advanced 38.8%, rebounding from a 34.7% drop in 2008. This year, O’Rourke says, investors are looking not just for profit growth, but for sales expansion. |
While all consumers still feel some economic pinch, wealthy and upper-middle-class consumers are growing more confident, says Lisa Walters, principal at research and consulting firm Retail Eye Partners in New York. Lower-income consumers—many living “paycheck-to-paycheck,” Walters says—continue to favor value retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) and Target (TGT). Read more at www.businessweek.com |
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