Squeezed
Retailers are lowering forecasts and adjusting marketing plans as higher taxes and fuel costs are leaving consumers with smaller paychecks and encouraging them to trade down to less expensive goods.
High-end’s in
Nordstrom says its fourth-quarter net income rose 20 percent as high-end shoppers kept spending on clothing and makeup, and customers responded to its service improvements.
Futures fracas
CME Group, owner of the world’s largest futures exchange, and two former employees were sued by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for disclosing material non-public information on customer trades.
Broadband
Nielsen, which measures TV viewers, will begin counting people who watch programming through broadband in addition to the traditional broadcast or cable hook-up.
Schwab fined
A regulatory panel fined the Charles Schwab brokerage firm $500,000 for attempting to limit arbitrators’ ability to consolidate client complaints.