U.S. stocks rose Friday, for their second consecutive weekly advance, as upbeat earnings reports from a number of companies, including Walt Disney and JC Penny, spurred optimism that the economic recovery is gaining momentum.  A dip in the value of dollar, on concerns consumer spending is likely to remain bleak, sent shares of commodity-related companies up. 

On Friday, the 30-stock Dow Jones industrial average rose 73 points, or 0.72%, to 10,270.47. The broad Standard & Poor's 500-stock index was up 6.24 points, or 0.57%, at 1,093.48. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index advanced 18.86 points, or 0.88%, to 2,167.88.  For the week the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index jumped 2.3% to 1,093.48.  The Dow average rose 247.05 points, or 2.5%, to 10,270.47, following its 3.2% advance the prior week.

The spike in commodities came after the greenback fell Friday on news that the trade deficit widened more than expected in

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – July 27, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Macy's (M), J.C. Penny (JCP), Family Dollar (FDO), Big Lots (BIG) and EnCana Corporation (ECA).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:

Sentiment Slips

The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment index slipped to 66.0 in July from 70.8 in June, but was revised up from its preliminary reading of 64.6. The reading was slightly better than expected.

The index has two major components: the expectations about how the economy will look

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Retailers Get No Help from Consumers

by The Investment U Research Team

After almost a full week of declines, futures finally point to a positive opening for Wall Street. But where does that leave us – other than shell-shocked?

We saw a couple of reports this morning that illustrate just how much consumers are cutting back on their spending. Costco (Nasdaq: COST) reported a 6% drop in sales.

Considering they are a leading warehouse club, where you would expect consumers to shop for bargains, the drop is significant. Consumers aren’t giving any help to retailers.

And they’re not the only ones hurting.

Department store J.C. Penny (NYSE: JCP) saw same store sales drop 8.2%, while luxury retailer Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN) saw sales drop 10%. So what does it all

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Did you know that Wyoming has a district called the historic J.C. Penny district? James Cash Penny established his first store in this state. Eventually it grew to the chain best known as J.C. Penny.Here are some interesting facts about Wyoming:1. New jobs created in Wyoming during 2007 ranked second in the country.2. No personal income tax.3. No corporate income tax.4. Income from the mining industry contributes 2/3 of the total state revenue.5. Wyoming’s top tourist destinations are: Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park.6. Top commodities are: Livestock of cattle, hay, sugar beets and barley.7. Top mineral commodities are: coal, natural gas, and crude oil.8. Wyoming is seventh nationwide for oil production.9. Wyoming ranks number one for coal production in the nation.10. The southern part of Wyoming is excellent for ...