Susquehanna Financial gave the Apparel Stores industry some good news as it announced an upgrade on one of its stocks.

Genesco Inc. (GCO) [Chart - News - Analysis] was upgraded from Neutral » Positive on 9/24/2009---a positive sign for the stock that investors typically welcome. FYI, Susquehanna Financial uses the following rating scale when analyzing stocks: Positive, Neutral, Negative.

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Genesco Inc. has an average analyst recommendation score of 1.8 and competes for investment dollars with Gap Inc. (GPS) [Chart - News - Analysis] and Nordstrom Inc. (JWN) [Chart - News - Analysis]---two other stocks in the Apparel Stores industry that have average analyst recommendation scores of 2.2 and 2.7 respectively.

Analyst recommendations are averaged and scored using the following rating scale:

- 1.0 = Strong Buy

- 2.0 = Buy

- 3.0 = Hold

- 4.0 = Sell

- 5.0 = Strong Sell

Why are Upgrades and Initiations Good and Downgrades Bad?

One event that is almost certain to get a reaction from Wall Street is an analyst upgrade or downgrade. Everyone is looking for an edge in the stock market, and quite often, traders turn to stock analysts to get that edge.

Upgrades and coverage initiations are typically good for stocks because they show that analysts either believe that the stock is going to perform better in the future or that the stock is worth covering and providing analysis on.

Downgrades are typically bad for stocks because they show that analysts believe that the stock is going to perform worse in the future.

What is a Stock Analyst?

Check out the Understanding Stock Analyst Research and Recommendations video and article for more info.

A stock analysts is a person---typically employed by a large bank, investment firm or analysis company---who devotes his/her life to learning and making predictions about a company and its future performance.

Stock analysts sift through company reports and filings, talk to company management, probe customers and competitors and basically do whatever they can to find out if a company is healthy and growing or sick and shrinking. Because this is incredibly demanding work, stock analysts typically only monitor one or two companies at a time.

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After a dramatic shift in momentum during the last few hours of trading on Wednesday---thanks to the announcement from the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) that the Fed will be pulling back on some of its stimulative programs---many investors are wondering what is going to happen in the market today. Will the downtrend continue, or can we bounce back?

The futures contracts for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), the S&P 500 (SPX) and the Nasdaq 100 Index (NDX) are all up approximately 0.10% as we head into the market opening.

The Asian markets were dramatically mixed today, but the European markets are moving slightly lower---signaling that we have some bearish momentum heading into the U.S. market opening.

The Hang Seng index and the Nikkei were mixed today. The Hang Seng closed down 2.52% and the Nikkei closed up 1.67%. The FTSE 100 in London and the DAX 30 in Germany have both been trading lower during the European trading session. The FTSE 100 was recently down 0.14% and the DAX 30 was down 0.10%.

Commodity prices are giving mixed signals for the opening on Wall Street. Gold prices have climbed nearly $3 today, but oil prices are down by $0.46. These prices leave gold well above $1,000 per ounce---at $1,017.10---and keep crude oil prices below $70 per barrel---at $68.51.

As you can see, we don't have any real clear indicators as to which way the market is going to go. However, if you are looking for a few stocks that may lead the charge higher today, you might want to consider Shuffle Master, Inc. (SHFL), AutoZone, Inc. (AZO) and Genesco Inc. (GCO). Each of these stocks was upgraded by analysts today.

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Sun Trust Rbsn Humphrey gave the Apparel Stores industry some good news as it announced it has initiated coverage on one of its stocks.

Genesco Inc. (GCO) [Chart - News - Analysis] was given a rating of Buy on 9/18/2009---a positive sign for the stock that investors typically welcome. FYI, Sun Trust Rbsn Humphrey uses the following rating scale when analyzing stocks: Buy, Neutral, Reduce, Underweight.

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Genesco Inc. has an average analyst recommendation score of 1.9 and competes for investment dollars with Gap Inc. (GPS) [Chart - News - Analysis] and Nordstrom Inc. (JWN) [Chart - News - Analysis]---two other stocks in the Apparel Stores industry that have average analyst recommendation scores of 2.2 and 2.7 respectively.

Analyst recommendations are averaged and scored using the following rating scale:

- 1.0 = Strong Buy

- 2.0 = Buy

- 3.0 = Hold

- 4.0 = Sell

- 5.0 = Strong Sell

Why are Upgrades and Initiations Good and Downgrades Bad?

One event that is almost certain to get a reaction from Wall Street is an analyst upgrade or downgrade. Everyone is looking for an edge in the stock market, and quite often, traders turn to stock analysts to get that edge.

Upgrades and coverage initiations are typically good for stocks because they show that analysts either believe that the stock is going to perform better in the future or that the stock is worth covering and providing analysis on.

Downgrades are typically bad for stocks because they show that analysts believe that the stock is going to perform worse in the future.

What is a Stock Analyst?

Check out the Understanding Stock Analyst Research and Recommendations video and article for more info.

A stock analysts is a person---typically employed by a large bank, investment firm or analysis company---who devotes his/her life to learning and making predictions about a company and its future performance.

Stock analysts sift through company reports and filings, talk to company management, probe customers and competitors and basically do whatever they can to find out if a company is healthy and growing or sick and shrinking. Because this is incredibly demanding work, stock analysts typically only monitor one or two companies at a time.

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