Consumer confidence plummets to lowest level since January 2021 at CNN   Affirm announces JPMorgan Chase merchants can soon offer installment loans at checkout at CNBC. "U.S. merchants who use JPMorgan to handle payments can soon add Affirm to their checkout pages, according to a release. Consumers will have access to loans ranging from 30 days to 60 months, according to Affirm." Read more   Retailers Bulk Up Inventories to Blunt Tariff Impact at WSJ. "The Logistics Managers’ Index, a monthly survey of supply-chain managers, showed inventory levels expanded in February at the fastest rate since June 2022. The [...]

  Dollar General Corp. Q4 comp sales +1.2% "For fiscal 2025, the Company expects...Same-store sales growth in the range of approximately 1.2% to 2.2%."  Press release   ...Dollar General CEO warns consumers are cash-strapped, and says 2025 won’t be better at CNBC. "For the fourth-quarter, Dollar General said same-store sales growth of 1.2% was driven entirely by 2.3% growth in average transaction. Customer traffic fell 1.1% during the period, “impacted by ongoing financial pressures of our core consumer,” Vasos said." Read more   Trump threatens 200% tariff on European alcohol as trade war escalates at CNN   PPI showed no [...]

  Dick's Sporting Goods Q4 comp sales +6.4% Press release   ...Dick’s Sporting Goods is latest retailer to forecast rocky 2025 at CNBC. "In the year ahead, Dick’s is expecting earnings per share to be between $13.80 and $14.40, well short of Wall Street estimates of $14.86..." Read more   Kohl's Q4 comp sales down 6.7% Press release   ...Kohl's downbeat annual sales forecast sends shares tumbling at Yahoo. "Kohl's expects 2025 comparable sales to decline 4% to 6%, compared with estimates for a 0.9% drop, according to data compiled by LSEG. Earnings per share is projected in the range of [...]

  BJ's Wholesale Club Q4 comp sales (ex-fuel) +4.6% "...guidance for fiscal 2025: Comparable club sales, excluding the impact of gasoline sales, to increase 2.0% to 3.5% year-over-year." Press release   Kroger Q4 ID sales (ex-fuel) +2.4% "Full-Year 2025 Guidance: Identical Sales without fuel of 2.0% – 3.0%." Press release   Walmart Asks Chinese Suppliers for Major Price Cuts on Trump Tariffs at Bloomberg. "Some suppliers, including producers of kitchenware and clothing, have been asked to lower their prices by as much as 10% per round of tariffs, essentially shouldering the full cost of Trump’s duties, according to the people, who [...]

  Trump tariffs: Mexico says it will retaliate, joining Canada and China - Dow Drops 650 Points CNBC   Target Q4 comp sales+1.5 % / Digital Q4 comp sales +8.7% Press release   ...Target warns February sales were soft at CNBC. "Target on Tuesday warned that it expects a “meaningful” drop in first-quarter profit...as it contends with “ongoing consumer uncertainty,” soft sales in February and concerns around tariffs." 6:27 Cornell video/Read more   ...Tariffs may force Target to raise prices on fruits and vegetables in the next couple of days at CNN. "Cornell said Target relies heavily on Mexican produce [...]

  Pending home sales drop to the lowest level on record in January at CNBC. "Pending sales dropped 4.6% from December to the lowest level since the National Association of Realtors began tracking this metric in 2001." Read more   Bath & Body Works Q4 net sales down 4.3% Press release   ...Bath & Body Works forecasts tepid annual results on tariffs, spending concerns at Reuters. "Bath & Body Works forecast fiscal 2025 net sales growth of to 1% to 3%, largely below analysts' estimates for a 2.8% rise, according to data compiled by LSEG." Read more   The frontloading [...]

  US consumer confidence plummets in February, biggest monthly decline since 2021 at AP. "The Conference Board reported that its consumer confidence index sank this month to 98.3 from 105.3 in January. That’s far below the expectations of economists, who projected a reading of 103, according to a survey by FactSet...Markets on Wall Street immediately drooped..." Read more   Home Depot Q4 comp sales +0.8%, U.S. +1.3% Press release   ...Home Depot earnings beat estimates, as retailer breaks comparable sales losing streak at CNBC. "In an interview with CNBC, CFO Richard McPhail said “housing is still frozen by mortgage rates.” [...]

  Walmart U.S. Q4 comp sales (ex-fuel) +4.6% / Walmart Int'l Q4 net sales growth +5.7% Press release   ...Walmart shares drop as retailer says profit growth will slow at CNBC. "In an interview with CNBC, CFO John David Rainey described consumer spending patterns as “steady” and said “there’s not any sharp changes that we’ve seen.”...About two-thirds of what Walmart sells is made, grown or assembled in the U.S. Yet if tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada take effect, he said Walmart is “not going to be completely immune.” Read more   Sam's Club Q4 comp sales (ex-fuel) +6.8% [...]