Retail Stocks: Year In Review; What To Shop For In 2016

At the start of 2015, retail stocks were viewed as one of the hottest categories to bet on. It made sense, given the decline in oil prices. Investors expected that the money consumers saved at the gas pump would be spent instead on discretionary goods like home furnishings and apparel. In some instances, this theory was proven true: For example, the discretionary sector’s stocks enjoyed a more than 9% average year-to-date increase, according to Fidelity Investments, significantly outperforming the S&P 500 (SPX) index’s 0.8% decline. Read more at The Street.