'Fast Money' Recap: The Retail Blues

The Dow Jones Industrial Average reeled Thursday from troublesome sales numbers from Wal-Mart(WMT Quote) before regaining some ground.

At the close the Dow was off 27.74, or 0.31%, to 8742.42, while the S&P 500 rose 3.08, or 0.34%, to 909.73. The Nasdaq added 17.95, or 1.12%, to 1,617.01.

Jeff Macke, who has been long on Wal-Mart, said on CNBC's "Fast Money" TV said that unlike other retailers, he liked the company because it has not whined about variables such as weather, economy or gas prices.

Now, he said he's worried because Wal-Mart, which fell 7.5% today, has guided down twice this quarter, missed its sales estimate in December and bungled the Lee Scott transition. Scott is stepping down as CEO in February.

Pete Najarian didn't think Wal-Mart's performance was that bad and suggested the decline in the stock will offer investors a chance to get in and buy the stock. He also recommended checking out Target(TGT Quote).

Margaret Brennan, a reporter for CNBC, agreed with Najarian's assessment, noting that Wal-Mart still saw sales growth despite a terrible retail environment. The sad fact is there are "fewer dollars to be spent at any store," she said.

Oil fell to $47.10 a barrel, prompting Guy Adami to note that the commodity has made a "monster" move recently, rising from $35 to $50. He expects it to trade down to $38 and suggested that weak economic data may have something to do with the decline, although he suspected traders just got ahead of themselves in pushing it up.