Recent Observations from Wharton Professors

The U.S. unemployment rate of 5% remains low by historical standards.
Retailers are presumably suffering, but Costco, Target and Wal-Mart have recently reported better-than-expected sales.

Housing

As far as housing goes, we are in “very, very unchartered territory”. We have to go back as far as the Great Depression to find a period […]

Posted in Uncategorized, Articles, August, 2008 | No Comments »

Retailing: It’s a Jungle Out There

Limited Too to close 26 stores and convert 560 to low priced Justice Store brands.
Linen N things: bankrupt in May 2008.
Pep Boys closing 31 stores and laying off 550. (Manny, Moe and . . . hey, where’s Jack?)
Kirtland’s closing 130 stores over 24 months.
Mrs. Field’s Cookies declared bankruptcy in August 2008. […]

Posted in Uncategorized, Articles, August, 2008 | No Comments »