XRT ETF

Anyone worried about the American consumer should be less anxious. Online buying for Black Friday set a new record.

Shannon Grein, Wells Fargo economist, joins 'The Exchange' to discuss the retail holiday sales season and state of spending.

After weeks of plugging increasingly inviting discounts, retailers in the United States and several other countries are preparing for prime time: Black Friday.

'Fast Money' traders talk what to expect from retailers as the holiday shopping season kicks off.

For investors seeking momentum, SPDR S&P Retail ETF XRT is probably on the radar. The fund just hit a 52-week high and is up 34.65% from its 52-week low price of $63.01/share.

Alex Straton, analyst at Morgan Stanley, joins CNBC's 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss the outlook on retail stocks to end the year, why this year's holiday season presents more challenges than others, and more.

With the holiday shopping season about to move into high gear, I analyze 2 leading retail stock ETFs. They could not be more different in terms of how they allocate holdings, and while I prefer RTH structurally, XRT has a better near-term chart picture. This ETF pair of peers helps to highlight a few critical, but often overlooked aspects of ETF analysis.

The SPDR S&P Retail ETF offers specialized exposure to the retail component of the total stock market, covering 79 stocks across various retail sub-sectors. Despite healthy retail sales and improving consumer sentiment, risks such as a higher threshold of inventories, steep listing prices, and potential tariffs could impact future performance. XRT's valuation appears attractive relative to the broader market, but its yield is sub-par, and the risk-reward on the charts does not look ideal.

I have been very clear about waiting for the “inside” sectors to reconcile their trading ranges before loading up on new equity positions. I have been equally clear on investing in hard assets, especially now as we have even more reasons to believe that prices of necessities are not going lower anytime soon.