Retail Stocks: What to Watch in 2017

Assailed by the relentless and merciless rise of e-commerce, brick-and-mortar retailers are struggling to adapt to an increasingly online world. Will this retail destruction continue in the year ahead? And what are the major retail trends that investors should watch? Read on to find out.

Sears, Kmart Drop 31 Trump Home Items From Their Online Shops

Major U.S. retailers Sears and Kmart this week removed 31 Trump Home items from their online product offerings to focus on more profitable items, a spokesman said on Saturday. The decision follows retailer Nordstrom Inc’s announcement this week it had decided to stop carrying Ivanka Trump’s apparel because of declining sales, prompting President Donald Trump to take to Twitter to defend his daughter.

Sears Says to Cut $1B in Costs, Shares Surge

Beleaguered retailer Sears Holdings Corp said on Friday it would cut costs by $1 billion and reduce debt and pension obligations by at least $1.5 billion this year, sending its shares soaring as much as 40 percent. The company also said it had sold five Sears full-line stores and two Auto Centers for $72.5 million in January, and had engaged Eastdil Secured to raise at least $1 billion from the sale of its real estate.

Sears To Replace Employee Discount Program With New Points Program

Sears Holdings Corp. will replace its associate discount program with a new associates points program that will award points and other perks through the company’s Shop Your Way loyalty program, effective Jan. 29. With the current system, a discount is taken on items at the time of purchase. Under the new points program, associates will receive 20% back in points on softlines categories, such as clothing, and 15% back on hardlines purchases, such as home furnishings and appliances, according to company spokesperson, Howard Riefs.

Why Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Sears Holdings, and Shake Shack Slumped Today

Friday was another record day for the stock market, with the Dow climbing above 19,999 without quite making it the final point higher to 20,000 before falling back toward the end of the day. A mixed jobs report seemed to give investors the perfect balance between economic strength and weakness, and market sentiment remained positive to frustrate those who had anticipated a quick pullback from the post-election rally once 2017 began.

Sears closing store and auto center in Hudson Valley

A Sears department store in the Hudson Valley is closing in the new year, putting nearly 100 people out of work. The Middletown Times Herald-Record reports that 96 jobs in the department store and auto center located at Galleria at Crystal Run will be lost, according to a notice published on the state Department of Labor website.

What Happened in the Stock Market Today

Cempra, a biotech focused on bacterial infectious diseases, slumped 58% after the Food and Drug Administration rejected two drug applications related to its lead product, solithromycin. The applications applied to oral and intravenous versions of the drug aimed at treating community-acquired bacterial pneumonia, or CABP.