The mainstream press still looks enthralled with the story of the alleged fraud at Galleon and the technically meaningless milestone of the Dow busting through 10 000.But here at the ‘Ville we have a different question this morning that impacts a lot more Americans: When do we start paying attention as investors to the rising price of crude oil and what this means for companies and consumers across the country?Oil futures stuck in the $65-to-$75 range for around four months flirted with $80 a barrel for the first time in a year this week carried in large part by ...

                      “I wish I had invented blue jeans. They have expression modesty sex appeal simplicity…all I hope for in my clothes.” -Yves Saint LaurentOf all the trends America has tried to export from baseball to democracy nothing seems to have caught on quite like blue jeans. It’s more than a little striking that Yves Saint Laurent -- perhaps the greatest fashion designer France (and thus the world) has ever produced -- should confess to having wished he’d created them. After all blue jeans are the one piece of fashion ...

Technically speaking, further consolidation is likely in order for stocks in the near term, which argues for reducing risk and avoiding lower-quality names. But until proven otherwise, there remains in effect a broader uptrend for the stock market.

Guess' second-quarter results give hope that Guess is a retailer worth buying.

Retail stocks head mainly lower, although Guess and Genesco shares trade higher after the companies report better-than-expected second-quarter financial results.