Despite Govt. Shutdown, Retailers Race to Record Highs

Amidst all the selling and uncertainty on Wall Street, six consumer stocks - retailers all - are poised to finish in record territory today.

They include deep-discounter Dollar Tree, apparel retailer Ross Stores, Internet retailers Netflix and Priceline, drugstore giant Walgreen, and food retailer Whole Foods Market.

What's driving the gains?

Maybe investors are just sticking with what works. Year-to-date the consumer discretionary sector is the best-performing group in the S&P 500, up 28% compared to 18% for the benchmark index:

Retail Record Highs