Bondage:
Not necessarily...
..."looks like footwear is a good indicator of eroding consumer spending"...
Sketchers fell out of favor with that all important pre-teen, teen demographic a while ago. NKE, SKX abd RBK are also out of favor. Believe me, I know this because with two children in that age group (and a little one who has to be just like them), I am a serious consumer of "in favor" sneakers and other cool stuff that that demographic (and their parents) are willing to spend for.
Any apparel or footwear related to skateboards (a pricey item these days) or surfing is "in". These are "big ticket" sneakers and are selling like footwear "hotcakes".
SKX is, and has been, "out" for over a year, at least. If you're looking for investment ideas related to that demographic, I would say most products sold at Pacific Sun, Feet First or Brave New World, would be a good bet.
Apparel and footwear sales in that pre-teen/teen demographic may be down since last year on the general economy, but remain strong, I'd imagine. It's an interesting demographic group. I'd bet sales to that group will remain strong unless the economy really tanks in a big way.
The only pre-teen/teen related stock I've invested in is Fossil Watch. I wish I had done more. It's a profitable niche. Look at PacSun.
I wouldn't bet on a come back for SKX either. With that age group, out is out. Sketchers could go the way of PFfliers (remember those?).
BTW, Gap is totally out - for every possible reason you can imagine.
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