Companies Slash Consumer Choice to Save on Import Costs

Retailers are slimming down product lines as they grapple with higher costs to import, move and store goods.

WSJ • Sep 1, 2026

From Inflation To AI: How Retailers Can Stay Ahead This Holiday Season

We're more than halfway through 2026, and retail leaders are confronting a familiar challenge with new urgency: how do you keep moving forward amid persistent uncertainty while proving that investments in AI are delivering real business value?

Forbes • Aug 30, 2026

US shoppers tighten budgets, but still find room for treats and splurges

Walmart's disappointing sales and Home Depot's strength among budget-conscious do-it-yourselfers indicate ​middle-class American consumers are growing more tight-fisted, even as wealthier shoppers have kept supporting luxury brands like Ralph Lauren.

Reuters • Aug 21, 2026

Key retail earnings reporting this week: The committee's retail strategy

The Investment Committee debate their retail sector strategy as some key names like Target and Walmart report earnings this week.

CNBC Television • Aug 18, 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

Retail Sales Fall Unexpectedly in July

U.S. headline retail sales fell unexpectedly in July, down 0.6% to $763.6B in July, while core retail sales fell unexpectedly by 0.3%. Key Takeaways Headline retail sales fell unexpectedly in July, down 0.6% to $763.6 billion.

ETF Trends • Aug 14, 2026

Retail ETFs: Following the Selective Consumer

The consumer remains resilient, but spending is becoming increasingly selective. Bank of America's August Consumer Checkpoint showed total card spending per household increased 5.0% year-over-year in July, with spending excluding gasoline up 4.3%. Although growth moderated from June, Bank of America attributed much of that slowdown to the fading of temporary boosts, including the timing of major online sales and World Cup related spending, rather than a broad deterioration in underlying demand.

ETF Trends • Aug 13, 2026

Likely ETF & Stock Winners From July Jobs Report

Weak July jobs data raises hopes for Fed easing, putting health care and select retail ETFs and stocks in focus.

Zacks Investment Research • Aug 11, 2026

Weekly Economic Snapshot: Inflation Cools, But Energy Headwinds Loom

A handful of key economic data points dropped last week, painting a picture of an economy that is successfully downshifting from its recent inflation peaks even as consumers keep their footing.

ETF Trends • Jul 20, 2026

Is State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) a Strong ETF Right Now?

A smart beta exchange traded fund, the State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) debuted on 06/19/2006, and offers broad exposure to the Consumer Discretionary ETFs category of the market.

Zacks Investment Research • Jul 16, 2026