Finance & Capital Management

New York -- Consumers didn’t let the heat get them down in August.

Consumer confidence rebounded in August, rising 10. 5 points to the strongest reading in seven months after having fallen sharply in July.

The Conference Board said Tuesday that its index of consumer confidence rose to 101.5 in August, up from a revised July reading of 91.0. It was the best showing since January.

Seattle – In the aftermath of the Ferguson riots, Starbucks Corp. asked store employees and managers to be extra sensitive to customers who may be feeling emotional about racial issues. Now Starbucks is asking workers in stores to show financial sensitivity.

According to Fusion, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz sent an internal email to employees and managers in stores asking them to recognize and respond to customers who are experiencing stress and anxiety resulting from the recent global stock market crash.

Minneapolis – For the second quarter in a row, Best Buy Co. Inc. beat Wall Street expectations for profit and revenue with large-screen TVs and mobile phones providing a major boost to its results.

Best Buy reported net income of $164 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2016, up 12% from $146 million the same period the previous fiscal year.

Secaucus, N.J. – Specialty apparel retailer The Children’s Place Inc. saw its net loss grow and net sales drop in a difficult second quarter of fiscal 2015.

Net loss increased to $13.7 million, from $10.7 million in the same quarter a year earlier.

Higher selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses, as well as several non-recurring items including legal fees, impairment charges and restructuring costs, helped push The Children’s Place further into the red.

Columbus, Ohio – DSW Inc. met Wall Street expectations for profit but did not grow revenues as much as projected during a mixed second quarter of fiscal 2015.

Costs and expenses increased at a slower rate than sales, allowing net income to improve 9% to $37.61 million, from $34.33 million in the prior year period. Net sales increased 7% to $627.2 million, from $587.1 million. Same-store sales rose 1.8%.

Mike MacDonald, president and CEO, also attributed rising profits to merchandise selling strategy.

Recent turmoil in the stock market hasn’t dimmed Best Buy’s outlook for the third quarter while the release of better than expected second quarter results has validated the company’s strategy, according to CEO Hubert Joly.

Strength in categories such as major appliances, large screen televisions and mobile phones, offset by weak tablet sales, helped Best Buy achieve a 2.7% domestic same store sales increase and pushed revenues up 3.9% to $7.9 billion during the second quarter ended August 1. Online comparable sales increased 17%.

DSW says its investments in becoming a more “customer-centric” company are paying off, as the retailer reported sales and earnings growth in the second quarter.

Target Corp. has agreed to pay $2.8 million to resolve a hiring discrimination claim filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Traffic problems and increased discounts led specialty apparel retailer The Children’s Place Inc.

 Specialty apparel retailer The Children’s Place Inc. saw its net loss grow and net sales drop in a difficult second quarter of fiscal 2015.