New York, NY, Aug. 22, 2011 — Retailers are beginning to anticipate a weak second half of the year as they reported the slowest earnings growth since in the last recession.
According to a Bloomberg News report, second-quarter earnings per share for 43 retailers in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index gained an average of 11%, the smallest increase in two years.
Bloomberg reports that many Wal-Mart shoppers are trading down, while wealthier shoppers have been hit by recent stock market declines and could begin curtailing purchases.
In addition, consumer sentiment has been trending lower.
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