TheStreet.com RealMoney

Retail Insanity

By Jim Cramer

 About this article:
 The data doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter ... at least to the people who comment on the numbers. I am talking about today's retail sales numbers that show 13 out of 13 retailers reporting better-than-expected months, with the most important chains telling you to take numbers up: Kohl's and Target . Of course the critics immediately say that Target was cautious, but a guide-up is a guide-up. Retail Holiday Preview Naughty, Nice ... or Neither? So what happens after these reports? The professor, Nouriel Roubini, immediately comes on moments later talking about how weak the consumer is. The data doesn't matter. We had a gazillion stories about how the back-to-school period would be worse than expected. These numbers that just came out show there were better-than-expected sales. But the data doesn't matter. Pundits and analysts and floor traders are calling this data "mixed." How can 13 out of 13...

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