Having already registered two straight months of better-than-expected sales, U.S. retailers’ October results may top the mark again and lead some to raise their profit outlooks heading into the industry’s crucial holiday period, analysts said.

How is the consumer feeling?Not so great it turns out.We learned this week that the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) slipped to 47.7 this month from 53.4 last month. Consumers’ perceptions of current conditions and their expectations for the future also fell.Other reports on consumer mood appeared similarly disheartening: The ABC News/Washington Post Consumer Comfort Index (WCCI) dropped another point during the week ending October 24 bringing its total drop the past three weeks to six points.This cements the index’s decline into the lower end of its range for the year economists note. (The index is based on three core ...

I love bull markets. I like to have faith in the future of our economy. And I’m tired of all the pessimism tied to the recession. Apparently the entire market feels the same way. Since hitting year lows in March the S&P 500 has been on a tear rising nearly 60%. The Depressing Truth But as optimistic as I want to be about a rebounding economy and as much as I want to see the market continue to recover I also have to face reality. And the reality is that a fully recuperated economy is nowhere in sight. Granted ...

Stocks rose a for fourth successive session though gains were pared in the afternoon after the Fed threw the Beige Book at equities. A Stone has fueled concerns the market is about to hit a brick Wall as Oliver is in town shooting Money Never Sleeps. Since Gordon Gekko first appeared in the fall of 1987 omens aren’t good. See also Wall Street II: A Sneak Peek.Wynn Resorts (WYNN) won big gaining 6.3% on an upgrade at Oppenheimer. Education company K12 Inc (LRN) plunged 13% on the day millions of Americans went back to school and there were no high fives ...

My wife and kids are home sick today with the stomach flu and I’m just wondering how long it will be before I get it. Something tells me I'll catch it just in time for the weekend.Asian stocks took a hit overnight but nothing too bad. The Hang Seng was off 1.04% and the Nikkei was down 0.78%. But European stocks were looking up earlier this morning. And here in the US we're currently trading higher.Here’s what I’m focused on this morning:Advanced Micro Devices (AMD): Yesterday Barclays Capital cranked up its rating on the company from Equal Weight to ...

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

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