Retail stocks key on financial results reported by apparel chains including Gap and Ann Taylor Stores, but the sector is mixed overall.

Among the shares expected to see active trade in Thursday's session are Aetna, Campbell Soup, Hot Topic, Jack in the Box, Limited, NetApp, Sears, Sony and Stage Stores.

Six months ago, a majority of the calls LNK Partners received came from companies facing significant challenges and seeking financial help. Now, healthier and stronger companies are beginning to reach out to the private-equity firm, which invests in retail and consumer-goods companies.

The 'rest of the story' you didn't hear about earnings from key retailers.

Watch out corporate beancounters. Backdating is back.Or at least the Wall Street Journal thinks it is. The paper which exposed the pervasive illegal practice of rewarding executives with stock options dated to maximize their returns back in 2006 is reviving the scandal. According to a story in today's paper researchers at University of Houston's C.T. Bauer College of Business looked for patterns of similar abuse at more than 4 000 companies and discovered that -- surprise! -- more companies did it than ever got caught for it the first time around.But the world isn't greeting the latest scandal with ...

NOTE TO EDITORS: The Following Is an Investment Opinion Being Issued by RothmanResearch.com.