Home Depot To Reopen Stores ASAP, Auto Sales Hit In China: Consumer Biz Report

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) intends to reopen its East Coast stores as quickly as possible to meet the expected tsunami of customers needing materials. The firm says that extension cords, bottled water, and utility pumps sold hugely prior to the storm and it has now established a command post in Atlanta to manage distribution of products to the stores.

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The unanticipated slide in margins at SAIC Motor in China is probably not a good omen for General Motors Company (NYSE:GM), Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), and Volkwagen (VLKAY.PK). The problem is not only due to the current hostility between China and Japan over sea islands, but also stemming from a larger picture of stalled demand in China. Indeed, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers says that sales fell by 0.3 percent in September to 1.32 million vehicles, following prior projections only a few months ago that forecast gains of between 3 and 4 percent.

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