Stocks Move Cautiously Higher Ahead Of Employment Report

Investors move markets higher
on mixed retail data;  traders cautiously await tomorrow’s July employment
report.

Traders’ attention now shifts to the monthly Employment
Report, released before the bell on Friday. “Are we now due for the sixth
consecutive significant excursion downwards after employment?” asks legendary
trader Victor Niederhoffer, on his
Daily Speculations website — in reference to the fact that each of the past
five reports have led to declines in the S&P 500.

href=”https://tradingmarkets.com.site/news/Stock%20Alert/”>Stocks On The
Move

Wal-Mart
(
WMT |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
July Comp. Rises 2.4%; Net Sales Climbs 12.5%; Sees August Comps. Of 1%-3%
Increase (full
story).  WMT shares trade higher by nearly 1%.

Gap
(
GPS |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating) July
Net Sales Up 1%; Comp Down; Guides Q2 EPS Below Street View (full
story).  GPS shares move lower by over 3%.

Target
(
TGT |
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Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
July Net Sales, Comp Increase (full
story).  TGT shares move higher by over 1%.

Bebe Stores
(
BEBE |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
July Same Store Sales Up 10% (full
story).  BEBE shares climb nearly 13%.

Sprint Nextel
(
S |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
Q2 Profit Dips On Merger-related Costs; To Buy-back $6 Bln Shares; Revises
FY06 Revenue Outlook (full
story).  S shares drop by 12%.

Starbucks
(
SBUX |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
Q3 Earnings Rise, Yet Margins Under Pressure; Introduces FY07 Targets (full
story).  SBUX shares take a hit trading down 8%.

Crude oil futures close lower by 1% to $75.57.