aeo

With the prospects for economic recovery iffy at best and consumer spending still sluggish, retailers are closing their weakest stores in order to protect profits.

Of the many ironies of last week's earthquake in Haiti, this one is the cruelest: In the months before the disaster, international officials believed the outlook for the Western Hemisphere's poorest country was starting to improve. U.S. and South Korean firms were considering expanding operations there.

Back in August, I discussed my amazement at the performance of shares of Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF). The stock just didn't seem to reflect the fundamentals of the company's business. Well, my amazement continues, because shares of the retailer are up 9% on Friday on the latest earnings report -a...