Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #1 Rank ("strong buy") List today:

3D Systems Corp (TDSC) 3M Co (MMM) Ajinomoto Co Inc (AJINY) Ameriprise Financial Inc (AMP) Archer-Daniels-Midland Co (ADM) Avnet Inc (AVT) Balchem Corp (BCPC) Banco Santander Chile (SAN) RG Barry Corp (DFZ) Bell Microproducts Inc (BELM) Briggs & Stratton Corp (BGG) Cadbury PLC (CBY) Cato Corp (CATO) China Green Agriculture Inc (CGA) Conceptus Inc (CPTS) Consolidated Graphics Inc (CGX) Crane Co (CR) Cymer Inc ...

Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #1 Rank ("strong buy") List today:

AES Corp (AES) Akzo Nobel NV (AKZOY) Alliance Financial Corp (ALNC) Atlantic Tele-Network Inc (ATNI) BASF SE (BASFY) Biovail Corp (BVF) Carbo Ceramics Inc (CRR) Cato Corp (CATO) Cellcom Israel Ltd (CEL) Chunghwa Telecom Co Ltd (CHT) Covidien Plc (COV) DG FastChannel Inc (DGIT) Diodes Inc (DIOD) Dover Corp (DOV) E.ON AG (EONGY) Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd (ENH) Gap Inc (GPS) Investors Bancorp Inc ...

We're going to stay in retail for a second straight day and highlight Brown Shoe Company, Inc. (BWS), which is up about 9% today.

< ?DART(15);?> This Zacks #1 Rank Top Performer from the retail - apparel/shoe industry comes a day after women's specialty retailer AnnTaylor Stores (ANN) was featured.

Retail is one of the better-represented spaces on the Zacks #1 Rank List at the moment. Including BWS, there are 7 other companies from the industry on the list: Aeropostale (ARO), Cato Corp. (CTR), Charlotte Russe (CHIC), Genesco (GCO), J. Crew Group (JCG), Men's Wearhouse (MW) and Stein Mart, Inc. (SMRT).

Earnings Estimates

Analysts currently expect a loss of 2 cents per share for this fiscal year, which ends January 2010. The result has narrowed significantly from a loss of 38 cents 2 months ago.

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There are several retailers on today's Zacks #1 Rank List, but The Children's Place Retail Stores, Inc. (PLCE) is among the top performers with a gain of approximately 4%.

< ?DART(15);?> There are 11 other companies from the Retail - Apparel/Shoe industry on today's 222-stock Zacks #1 Rank List, including fellow top performers Cato Corp. (CTR), Dress Barn, Inc. (DBRN) and Citi Trends (CTRN). The list also includes Aeropostale, Inc. (ARO), Gap, Inc. (GPS) and Gymboree Corp. (GYMB).

Earnings Estimates on the Move

Earnings estimates on PLCE have been moving in the right direction of late, accounting for a 28% rise in the past 2 months for this fiscal year, which ends January 2010.

In the past 30 days, 4 of 8 covering analysts revised higher, marking a gain of 8.2% in that time.

Next fiscal

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First-quarter earnings season nears an end with Hewlett-Packard (

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Dow components Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and Home Depot (HD) headline the last official week of second-quarter earnings season. Joining them will be S&P 500 members Gap (GPS), Lowe's (LOW), Limited (LTD) and Target (TGT).

Overall, we have confirmed reports from 106 companies, 13 of which are in the S&P 500. Retailers will again be prominent, with 40 listed to release results.

There is not much on the economic calendar, though we will get inflation numbers on Tuesday. Key data will include: Tuesday: July producer prices (PPI), July housing starts, July building permits Wednesday: Weekly crude inventories Thursday: July Leading Indicators, August Phili Fed survey, weekly initial jobless claims

The Kansas City Fed will hold its economic symposium at Jackson Hole, WY. Fed Chairman Fed Ben Bernanke will speak about financial stability on Friday.

Volume could be modest through Labor Day as traders try to get in late

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