Schaeffer's Daily Market Blog Features Wal-Mart Stores, Target, the AMEX Oil Service HOLDRS Trust, Exxon Mobil, and Estee Lauder.

CINCINNATI -- Among the stocks featured in the May 4 edition of Schaeffer's Market Blog are Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE:WMT), Target (NYSE:TGT), the AMEX Oil Service HOLDRS Trust (AMEX:OIH), Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM), and Estee Lauder (NYSE:EL). Schaeffer's Market Blog is just one of the many free market commentaries written every day at www.SchaeffersResearch.com - the home of Bernie Schaeffer and Schaeffer's Investment Research. The Market Blog is written throughout every trading day by Schaeffer's financial analysts and traders. They are quick insights to the day's most notable market activity from an options perspective. For additional information about this report or to have it delivered to you free via email every day click on the following link. http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/redirect.aspx?CODE=PROB12M&PAGE=1 .

Schaeffer's Market Blog for Thursday, May 4, 2006:

Below are just a few of today's Market Blog entries. Click here to read all of today's Market Blog. http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/redirect.aspx?CODE=PROB1C&PAGE=1 .

10:29 AM Notable Retail Movers

Retail sales for April have come in, and it seems that the late Easter helped many retailers tally strong year-over-year sales. Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE:WMT) posted a 6.8-percent increase in same-store sales, which was attributed to strong sales of toys, games, and candy for Easter. WMT's sales matched the company's own forecast and topped the 5.7-percent gain expected by the consensus. Take note, WMT forecast a sales slowdown in May, to sales of two to four percent. Costco (COST) also posted better-than-expected same-store sales results for the month. The retailer posted same-store sales growth of seven percent, topping the consensus estimate for growth of 5.5 percent.

Target (NYSE:TGT) posted an increase of 10.4 percent in April same-store sales, edging out the consensus estimate of 10 percent. The company also forecast May same-store sales to increase between four and six percent. Several other retailers posted same-store sales results that topped the Street's expectations, including American Eagle Outfitters (AEOS), Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF), and The Gap (GPS).

Not all the news was good, as Chico's FAS (CHS), Pier 1 Imports (PIR), and Hot Topic (HOTT) all missed the consensus estimate and are dropping in response. CHS and PIR are both more than 16 percent lower in the first hour of trading.

12:22 PM Oil Prices Slip

Be still my beating heart, did I really just see a bulletin come across my desk that crude futures are lower than $70 per barrel? It definitely appears that way. Yesterday's crude inventory data has given investors reason to turn their minds from supply concerns and allow crude prices to fall below 70 for the first time since April 13. What's more, gas futures slipped below $2 per gallon, a level not seen since mid-April.

The drop is sizeable, but will still be but a drop in the bucket when it comes to prices at the pump. However, it is nice to see crude futures moving down for a change. Of course, the AMEX Oil Services HOLDRS Trust (AMEX:OIH) doesn't necessarily feel that way, losing more than two percent thus far today. Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM), Halliburton (HAL), and Cooper Cameron (CAM) have all lost more than one percent to this point.

1:00 PM Estee Lauder Reports Earnings

This morning, makeup maker, Estee Lauder (NYSE:EL) posted third-quarter earnings of 28 cents per share. These results include a restructuring charge of 15 cents per share. Excluding discontinued operations, the company would have earned 29 cents per share. Quarterly revenue increased to $1.58 billion from $1.53 billion a year ago. Analysts were expecting earnings of 39 cents per share on revenue of $1.57 billion.

Looking ahead, EL forecast fiscal 2006 sales growth of three percent. The cosmetics company also expects earnings from continuing operations between $1.61 and $1.72 per share, including 22 to 26 cents per share in special charges.

This news has the shares more than five percent higher on the day, but the shares met resistance at the 40 level and have since backed off.

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Schaeffer's Investment Research, founded by Bernie Schaeffer in 1981, is a financial information and trading resources company. It publishes Bernie Schaeffer's Option Advisor, the nation's leading options subscription newsletter. The firm's contrarian approach focuses on stocks with technical and fundamental trends that run counter to investor expectations. The firm's website, http://www.SchaeffersResearch.com , is recognized as one of the leading information sources for stock and options traders and was cited as the top options website by both Forbes and Barron's. Click here for more details about Schaeffer's trading methodology: http://www.SchaeffersResearch.com/method .