American Eagle Outfitters

Firecracker remnants may still dot the nation's sidewalks, but retail forecasters are already talking about back-to-school shopping season -- and they're happy to do so. The improved economic environment is setting the stage for sales gains in everything from tablet computers to bold-colored jeans.

Politicians in both Greece and the U.S. are struggling to find the common ground necessary to keep their governments from defaulting on their debts; QE2 hasn't ended yet, and already the Fed is considering QE3; and the SEC finally starts to regulate Wall Street's hedge funds.

Two biotechs, SIGA and PharmAthene, vying to establish a foothold in the potentially vast biodefense market are in the midst of duking it out in a multibillion dollar legal battle. The crux of the dispute is a smallpox vaccine being developed for the military.

Big merchants got an early Christmas present this year: Better-than expected November sales. This group posted 6% sales growth compared to 2009, far ahead of most forecasts for 3% to 4% growth. But bargain-hunting is likely to continue in December.

Some merchants adjusted quickly to the "new normal" of penny-pinching shoppers, but others are still struggling with shrinking consumer budgets or headwinds they were fighting before the bottom fell out. Here's a look at the two groups that are going in two different directions.

Abercrombie & Fitch's idealized (and expensive) version of perpetual youth has worn thin among cash-strapped consumers, threatening the company's sales, stock price, and prospects.

Clothing company American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) reported second quarter earnings of 5 cents per diluted share, down from 14 cents per diluted share a year earlier. The company recorded $18 million of pre-tax closure charges related to the closing of its MARTIN+OSA business in the second quarter,...