Those buyers, no matter how diligent, no matter how much market research they read, no matter how many analysts' reports they studied, could not have known what Martha Stewart did: that the Waksal family was dumping shares.
In line with what many longtime analysts reported, ShopperTrak said on Monday that foot traffic at all kinds of stores, including stand-alone stores and those in malls, plummeted 18percentt compared with last year.
The company still faces many challenges, but analysts reporting to Thomson IBES expect it to post per share profits of 5 cents over the next 12 months and deliver 9% annual earnings growth over the next three to five years.
He said he was worried that investors heard from too many analysts keen to report that "what looks like a frog is really a prince".
Other money managers cite the focus only on income statements, not balance sheets, as another flaw in many equity analysts' reports.
Analysts report 60-110 hour work-weeks.
Many analysts saw the report as a turning point for the labor market.
Mr. Weber, the chief financial officer, said the problems should not be seen as accounting irregularities, the view taken by many analysts and news reports.
Many analysts predict the reports will show banks are on the mend, with help from low interest rates, fat lending margins, dwindling competition and profits from trading in the financial markets in January and February.
On Tuesday, when Gap releases its annual financial report, many analysts are hoping for signs of drastic action at last.
