the Trade-Radar + TradingStockAlerts blog

I have had a recurring set of posts where I look at stocks that are strong enough to be on the Trade-Radar Trend Leaders list yet remain reasonably priced. After running this weekend's Alert HQ process there was only one stock that met this criteria: Family Dollar Stores (FDO). Background -- The profile from Yahoo! Finance is concise and descriptive enough: "Family Dollar Stores, Inc. operates a chain of self-service retail discount stores for low to lower-middle income consumers in the United States. The company offers consumables, including household chemicals, paper products, candy, snacks and other food, health and beauty aids, hardware and automotive supplies, pet food, and supplies; and home products, which comprise domestics, housewares, giftware, and home decor. It also provides apparel and accessories, including men's and women's clothing, boys' and girls' clothing, infants' clothing, shoes, and fashion accessories; and seasonal and electro...

As expected, the retail sales numbers released today were indeed horrible. What does that mean for the tech sector? First, how bad were the retail sales numbers? According to the Census Bureau retail sales report for September, estimated monthly sales for retail and food services on a seasonally adjusted basis fell 1.2% last month from the previous month. This is the biggest monthly percentage decline in more than three years. It is also represents a 1% drop from September 2007. According to the New York Times, MasterCard reported last week that spending on consumer electronics and home appliances dropped 13.8 percent in September compared with a year ago. That number is by far the largest recorded since MasterCard began tracking the category in 2003, and twice the largest previous monthly drop in such spending. Given that consumer spending accounts for 70 percent or more of economic growth, the tech sector cannot escape the impact. And based in the MasterCard report, consumer electro...