A private equity firm is buying a 17 percent stake in Whole Foods Market, a much-needed vote of confidence for a chain that is being battered by increased competition and a weak economy. The news came as the company announced a huge drop in...

That may be overstating things a bit. But Wal-Mart certainly is doing well these days. Wasn't it a year ago or so that everyone was talking about the Bentonville behemoth stumbling and perhaps hitting the limits of its business model? It seems to...

General Growth Properties Inc., the second-largest U.S. mall owner, and Kimco Realty Corp., the largest owner of community shopping centers, plunged in New York trading after cutting their earnings forecasts for the year. General Growth, based in...

Commercial real-estate securities have been Wall Street's last claim to dignity. You might remember that Lehman Brothers Holdings in the final days pinned its hopes for survival on the values of its commercial real-estate portfolio. In planning to...