Retailers Finish Strong
Retail stocks had a strong holiday season, outpacing the broader market in the 4th quarter and for the full year. The SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) is up 16% in Q4 and 36% year-to-date.
XRT
Retailers Show Steady Improvement
Since coming off a mid-July low, the Dow Jones US Broadline Retailers Index has shown steady improvement. Dollar stores, club stores, Wal-Mart (WMT) and Amazon.com (AMZN) have been the best performers in the group over the last 6 months as consumers went in search of lower cost retailers to offset rising food and gas prices.