Stock Market

I invested in 100 shares each of the following retailers; Kohl’s Corporation (KSS), Macy’s, Incorporated (M), Nordstrom’s, Incorporated (JWN), VF Corporation (VFC), and Target Corporation (TGT). My initial reason for choosing these particular businesses was due to the obvious fact that they are each in the business of clothing and apparel. Also, they are all well know within the industry and because they are of particular interest to me.
VF Corporation, a local manufacturing company, has specialized in “jeanswear, outdoor products, image apparel, sportswear and contemporary apparel brands” for over one hundred years. They offer brands such as Wrangler®, Lee®, Riders®, and 7 For All Mankind®.
Macy’s and Nordstrom’s are higher end retailers that have withstood economic downtimes and countrywide recession. They have been able to stabilize their position in the apparel industry while continuously growing their fan base. Macy’s, once catered to the working class, has become a “boutique like” retailer who caters to a more economically advanced group.
Retailers such as Target and Kohl’s, offer a plethora of items to suit their customers needs. These massive stores provide numerous apparel and non apparel items for men, women children. They have a host of household goods, shoes gift iseas and accessories which make for a well rounded shopping experience. Target seems the likely choice for consumers who dislike Wal-Mart and its long twisting lines, unkempt floor, and low quality.
I invested in 100 shares each of the following entities; Exxon Mobile Corporation (XOM), Kimco Realty Corporation (KIM), Merck & Company, Incorporated ( MRK), North West Airlines Corporation (NWA), and Sony Corporation (SNE). I based my choice on the economic slump America is headed for. I wanted to see how major industries such as Gasoline and petroleum, real estate, health care and maintenance, travel (specifically airway travel), and computers and technology, would fair in the upcoming recession.
It’s no doubt that each of these majors economic sectors will continue to be profitable. I am concerned about which may see major effects of the recession and which may continue to flourish despite the economic crunch.
I have come up with a fantasy ranking system to evaluate who will be victorious and who will experience profit loss. Of the five contenders, I believe, the gasoline and petroleum, namely Exxon, will flourish will little to no interruptions. The ideology behind this is that people must travel in order to work, in order to continue to bring income into the house, in order to live. The second, least effected, sector is the health care and maintenance field. People need to stay healthy to work, enough said. The two sectors that rank neck-and-neck are travel and computers and technology. These two fields are not essential to everyday living, but they are readily consumed goods. It seems that air travel will decrease as it’s the most expensive form of travel. Also, people may want to rethink extravagant vacation plans in lieu of local attractions. The electronic field will slowly decline as consumers contemplate the importance of needs versus wants.
Last, and certainly least, the real estate industry. We have seen how this sector has caused mayhem and heartache for many new home buyers. Sending their hard earned investments back to the bank and into foreclosure. Consumers will not be ready to purchase homes until the economy grows and it becomes a “buyers market” again.