Inga holds XRT 44.94: With much of the nation taking the day off for Veterans Day, the listless trading on Wall Street was no real surprise.

Converting to a real estate investment trust provides tax benefits on earnings. Will 2015 be the year of the REIT for phone companies, including perhaps Verizon and AT&T? Vanguard REIT ETF (ARCA:VNQ) gained ground on Monday and Wednesday. Utilities Select Sector SPDR Exchange Traded Fund (ARCA:XLU) sparked up on Tuesday and Wednesday. A wave of mergers, robust pipelines and busier-than-ever hospitals continue to drive these industries forward.


Helaine:
Retail figures highlight the increasing confidence in consumer sentiment in the US.

Clara:
They have worked hard to remain in the positive zone.

Kimberlee:
The sales are projected to grow at 14.10% on a YoY (year-over-year) basis in 2015. A rise in buying through online portals is helping internet retail stocks boom.

Marissa:
This suggests that auto demand is subdued.

Denna:
The recently released US retail and food services sales for August recorded a rise of 0.20% from the previous month.

Madeleine:
They account for around two-thirds of the GDP (gross domestic product) in the US.

Joi:
Owners of SPDR S&P Transportation ETF (NYSEARCA: XTN ) should be ready for a more volatile holiday season as higher inventories mean pricing pressure for transport stocks as well as fewer replenishing volumes.

Joslyn:
If this occurs, it will put a damper on growth in the shipping and transportation supply chain, which is already on thin ice.

Adelaide:
However, they could pose a problem if levels keep increasing going into the holiday season - i.e.

Joy:
The stock-to-sales ratios for manufacturers was unchanged at 1.35 and unchanged for wholesalers at 1.30. At the moment, it doesn't appear that inventory levels will make or break data in production and employment going into the coming months.

SPDR S&P Retail (AMEX:XRT)
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