Having that backlog helped IBM through the worst part of the recession.

202

I don't see anything mitigating that, except people taking money out of homes. The negative savings rate means most consumers won't be able to dig deeper into cash supplies.

186

The questioning [about compensation] on conference calls hasn't gotten any tougher than it was four years ago.

171

Companies that do really well either minimize something like prices, or maximize something like luxury. It's the companies in the middle that are going to be squeezed.

153

The stock has really soared since the beginning of October. I think the stock is worth $27 to $28, so I wouldn't be surprised if it gave back a little bit.

150

I don't think these companies results have merited getting hit this hard, but investors are getting concerned with consumer spending as we move into the all-important Christmas season.

144

As of the September quarter it didn't appear that things were getting any better.

119

I think the Gap had to come up with something new. It's possible they're trying to target the baby boomers next. Old Navy has been driving growth for the Gap Inc. but it's starting to slow. Its namesake Gap stores are facing market saturation, and the higher-priced Banana Republic brand is a niche concept. Banana Republic has been doing great but there's a limited opportunity to expand it further.

115

This is the first that I've heard of Gap actually revealing what their growth plan is for the brand.

55