Dear Reader,

Gold just surged past $4,200 an ounce. 

Up almost 25% in the last six months. 

And 45% in the last year. 

But we believe this is just the start. 

Weiss Ratings’ in-house gold expert Sean Brodrick … who has been tracking precious metals for over three decades … believes gold could surpass $6,900 very soon. 

However, here’s what Sean knows that most people don’t …

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It happened in 2008. 

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With gold at record highs right now and showing no signs of stopping, this opportunity is heating up fast.

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Chris Hurt,
Weiss Ratings

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Bonus News from MarketBeat

Consumers Got Coal, But Santa Dropped Off Big Gains for These 2 Retailers

Reported by Dan Schmidt. Published: 12/9/2025. 

Article Highlights

• Despite resilient spending and strong market returns, consumer sentiment surveys remain weak.
• High rates, stubborn inflation, and a flat job market have contributed to the weakness, but there are still surprising areas of strength in the retail sector.
• Two department stores, Dillard’s and Macy’s, are bucking these trends with strong results, and their investors are being rewarded.

Santa Claus might be coming to town, but that hasn’t prevented pessimism from seeping into consumer sentiment this holiday season.

The University of Michigan’s Survey of Consumerscontinues to show that Americans aren’t feeling very optimistic about their finances or the job market. The K-shaped economy has been a hot topic in the market news cycle, and that’s put the retail sectorunder extra scrutiny.

One area you’d expect to suffer in a K-shaped economy is the department store model, but that hasn’t been the case—at least for these two companies. Let’s examine why Dillards Inc. (NYSE: DDS) and Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) are posting outsized gains in 2025 despite operating in very different ways.

Dillard’s: A Department Store with a Clear Identity

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Dillard’s is the last of a dying breed: a traditional brick-and-mortar department store that isn’t being overwhelmed by e-commerce.

How has the company managed to withstand the onslaught from online merchants? By focusing on an affluent customer base, keeping inventory tight, and adopting strategies that aggressively reward shareholders.

Dillard’s appeals to upper- and middle-income consumers, which not only supports sales in the current environment but also helps the company preserve margins through disciplined inventory management.

Unlike many of its department store peers, Dillard’s doesn’t chase sales with frequent promotions. Instead, it carefully aligns inventory with demand projections, maintaining healthy margins and avoiding forced, unprofitable clearance events.

Dillard’s also uses several shareholder-friendly practices that keep investors’ spirits bright.

First, unlike most department stores that lease their locations, Dillard’s owns a significant portion of its real estate outright. Those holdings make it a frequent buyout target, which helps put a floor under the share price.

Second, Dillard’s has made share buybacks and dividends a central part of its capital-allocation strategy. While many retailers only initiate buybacks when cash flow is robust, Dillard’s has built them into its long-term plan, creating steady demand for its stock and protecting EPS during downturns.

Thanks to these strategies, Dillard’s has consistently beaten earnings expectations each quarter this year, particularly in Q3 2025, when comparable sales (comps) increased 3% year-over-year and gross margins rose to 45.3% from 44.5% in Q3 2024. Revenue and earnings per share (EPS) have also shown strong growth throughout the year, helping drive the stock’s year-to-date (YTD) increase of more than 55%.

The stock received another boost when shares bounced off the 50-day simple moving average (SMA), triggering a fresh wave of upward momentum. DDS is trading at about 18x earnings — pricey for a department store — but investors appear willing to pay up for quality.

Macy’s: “Bold New Chapter” Is Rewriting the Narrative

Macy’s has been a thorn in the side of retail investors for several years as the traditional department store model faded. While the former mall anchor still faces challenges, the early results from its Bold New Chapter initiative look promising.

Turnarounds often require radical actions from management, and Macy’s has adopted a decisive approach with an aggressive store rebranding and closure program. The Reimagine 125 strategy is a key component of the Bold New Chapter initiative, involving the closure of underperforming locations and the renovation of stronger stores.

Macy’s announced plans to close 150 cash-draining locations and concentrate on rebranding 125 profitable stores to reduce costs and lift comp sales. The company rebranded 50 stores in 2024, with the remaining 75 scheduled for facelifts in 2025. With the rebrand now well underway, Macy’s financial results suggest the pivot is working.

On Dec. 3, Macy’s reported its fiscal Q3 2025 earnings, marking the fourth consecutive quarter that both EPS and revenue beat projections. Comp sales grew 3.2% year-over-year, helped by Reimagine 125 locations (2.7% comp growth) and Bloomingdale’s (9.0% comp growth).

Stores outside the Reimagine program and Bloomingdale’s reported weaker 2% comp sales. Bloomingdale’s posted its strongest comp growth in 13 quarters, underlining the resilience of the upper-income consumer. Meanwhile, a 20-basis-point tariff hit to gross margins proved less damaging than expected, and management raised guidance for total 2025 sales, comps, and adjusted EPS.

Macy’s lean, mean restructuring plan, supported by high-margin subsidiaries like Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury, has helped fuel a roughly 30% YTD stock gain. A 30% advance in 2025 would have stunned even the most optimistic observers a year ago, and the stock benefits from both fundamental and technical tailwinds that could sustain the rally.

The shares are trading above their 50-day and 200-day SMAs, and the Relative Strength Index (RSI) isn’t signaling overbought conditions yet. Macy’s is showing investors what they want from a modern retailer: ruthless efficiency, high-end brand appeal, and effective tariff-mitigation tactics.

Additionally, a 3.5% dividend yield from a retailer trading at roughly 9.5x forward earnings is another attractive feature for investors.

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