As the economy improves, HD's profits will improve and free cash flow will surge as a result of the declining capital expenditures.

It's not just the big names in discount retailers who will benefit from the change in consumer spending.

Novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald best known for chronicling the rich in The Great Gatsby supposedly said to Ernest Hemingway “The rich are different than you and me.”To which Hemingway reportedly quipped “Yes they have more money.”That’s a good line but it overlooks the role top earners play as economic activists in the nation’s economy. It’s easy to attack Wall Street bonuses and fat executive compensation packages but it’s hard to deny that the rich are driving employment and funding the next round of innovation.So other than a novelist in search of a good yarn who needs the rich? We ...

Target's focus on affordable fashion in apparel and housewares has turned from blessing to curse.

The US Commerce Department said retail sales rose 1.4% in October surpassing the forecast 0.9% increase but look for downbeat numbers when Sears Holdings (SHLD) reports third-quarter earnings Thursday.Analysts expect Sears Holdings the nation’s fourth-largest broadline retailer to report a net loss of $1.09 a share on sales of $9.92 billion compared with a net loss of $0.90 excluding one-time items on sales of $10.7 billion for the same period a year ago. The company lost $94 million or $0.79 a share in the second quarter.Sears operates in three business segments -- Sears Domestic Sears Canada and Kmart -- ...