Retail stocks headed higher Tuesday as Macy’s Inc. was upgraded to buy from hold by Citigroup.

A review of what some retailers did and did not say this earnings season.

Among the stocks expected to see active trading on Wednesday are those of Eaton Vance, Gymboree, Limited and PetSmart.

Analysts see margin expansion as the key driver of earnings, not top-line growth. Here we look at a few winners and losers.

The recent retreat in the stock market was in no small part attributed to concerns that consumer spending will remain damp for the foreseeable future. At least that's been the message from recent earnings reports from Best Buy (BBY) and Nike (NKE) -- both of which came up short on top-line revenue numbers and relied on cost-cutting to keep bottom-line EPS in line with diminished expectations. So how to do you explain today’s action that sees companies such as Dress Barn (DBRN) Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) and Gymboree (GYMB) -- names that hardly have the blue-chip branding or name recognition ...

NOTE TO EDITORS: The Following Is an Investment Opinion Being Issued by Ridgewater Equity (RWE).