The consumer discretionary group is outperforming the broader market in early trade. The retail group is also in the red with the Retail HOLDRS Trust (RTH) -0.3% and the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) -0.4%.
Notable mentions: CMCSA flat (Comcast is in discussions to sell its 15% stake in A&E TV for $2.8 bln, according to reports), TJX and ROST (positive mention in Barron's)... Leaders: BOOT 81.2% (ABC-MART announces agreement to acquire LaCrosse Footwear for $20/share), AMZN 0.6% (Amazon.com is considering developing a smartphone that would run Google's (GOOG) Android system, according to reports)... Laggards: CBK -6% (rejects unsolicited proposal as not in the best interest of stockholders), AONE -6.2% (announces satisfaction of conditions for release of $30 mln of restricted cash; co announces registered direct offering of common stock and warrants).
Analyst related: Upgrades: SBH 3.5% (upgraded to Buy from Neutral at BofA/Merrill)... Downgrades: DECK -4.5% (downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Longbow), WTW -4% (downgraded to Neutral from Buy at BofA/Merrill), AVP -1.8% (Avon Products downgraded to Neutral from Buy at BofA/Merrill)... Misc: LVS -1.5%, MPEL 0flat and WYNN -1.9% (Hearing cautious Macau gaming comments at Macquarie).






