US holiday retail sales growth set to accelerate, Deloitte says

U.S. holiday retail sales are expected to grow by as much as 4.8% this year, Deloitte said on ​Thursday, as rising disposable incomes help support spending in ‌the crucial shopping season despite consumers' continued focus on value.

Reuters • Sep 10, 2026

NHL ETFs Are A Trap For Hockey Fans

Volatility Shares and Roundhill have both filed for 32 NHL team ETFs. I think investors, hockey fans, and gamblers should avoid all of them, whichever issuer wins. I ran the 2025-2026 season through the FutureSports methodology. The index rankings and the NHL standings line up about 91% of the time. Most stats carry equal positive and negative attribution, but penalties and clinches do not. That one-way scoring drags the whole league about 2% lower by season end.

Seeking Alpha • Aug 25, 2026

Q2 2026 U.S. Retail Preview: Broadline Retail Drives Growth

The U.S. consumer remains resilient enough to support earnings growth, but that resilience is increasingly concentrated. The LSEG U.S. Retail and Restaurant Q2 earnings index, which tracks changes in the growth rate of earnings within the sector, is expected to show a 67.0% growth over last year's levels. Of the 185 retailers tracked by LSEG, the Broadline Retail sector, representing a wide variety of consumer goods, is headed for the highest earnings growth rate in the second quarter, recording a 231.1% surge over last year's level.

Seeking Alpha • Aug 17, 2026

Should You Invest in the Vanguard Consumer Discretionary Index Fund ETF Shares (VCR)?

Looking for broad exposure to the Consumer Discretionary - Broad segment of the equity market? You should consider the Vanguard Consumer Discretionary Index Fund ETF Shares (VCR), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on January 26, 2004.

Zacks Investment Research • Jul 21, 2026

2 Vanguard ETFs to Buy Now to Outperform the S&P 500, According to Wall Street Analysts

Artificial intelligence has been and will continue to be the biggest driving force of the current bull market. Analysts see upside of more than 25% for each of these ETFs over the next 12 months.

The Motley Fool • Jul 17, 2026

VCR: Consumer Discretionary Sector Dashboard For July

Consumer services are notably undervalued with strong quality, while auto/components remain fundamentally unattractive. Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF is cheaper than XLY on valuation metrics due to small-cap inclusion, but both ETFs deliver nearly identical long-term risk-adjusted returns. Eight stocks cheaper than their peers in July.

Seeking Alpha • Jul 14, 2026

Why Investors Shouldn't Count Out Consumer Stocks

Consumer spending has held up well despite economic headwinds. The state of inflation and the labor market will be key to watch.

Seeking Alpha • Jul 9, 2026

Mid-Year 2026 U.S. Retail/Restaurant Outlook

The LSEG Retail/Restaurant Index reported Q1 2026 earnings growth of 27.2%. Retail earnings in the first quarter of 2026 received a significant boost from a historic tax refund season, reinforcing consumer spending at a time when the labor market remained resilient. Q2 2026 earnings are currently expected to mark the weakest growth rate of the year, with consensus forecasts calling for a gradual improvement during the second half of the year.

Seeking Alpha • Jul 7, 2026

Can AI and Robotics Revive Tesla? ETFs Worth Considering

A renewed focus on AI and robotics is reshaping Tesla's investment story. Here are a few Tesla-heavy ETFs that are worth considering.

Zacks Investment Research • Jun 5, 2026

Tesla's 18.97% Weight in XLY Explains Why It Beat VCR by 9 Points in Five Years

The Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF (NYSEARCA:VCR | VCR Price Prediction) and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSEARCA:XLY) track US consumer discretionary stocks, both are market-cap weighted, and both hold Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) as anchor positions.

24/7 Wall Street • May 18, 2026