Don't try too hard to find a reason why Amazon's (AMZN) stock is at all-time high, it's really pretty simple.
Just in the past few weeks alone, Wall Street has seen bankruptcy filings from mall staples such as women's apparel retailer BCBG and RadioShack successor General Wireless Operations Inc. Struggling appliances, electronics and furniture retailer HHGregg (HGG) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and reached a deal to sell itself to an undisclosed party.
Children's apparel retailer Gymboree Corp. on March 14 cautioned it was running low on cash and might not survive. At the same time, teen retailer Bebe Stores Inc. (BEBE) allegedly is working to close all of its stores and focus solely on e-commerce in an attempt to restructure out of court and avoid bankruptcy.
TheStreet broke news a week ago that Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD) disclosed in its annual report that it is concerned about its ability to continue as a going concern, although the company projected it would have sufficient liquidity over the next 12 months.
J.C. Penney (JCP) and Macy's (M) are aggressively shutting stores this year to shore up their finances.
In the eyes of the market right now, Amazon is clearly the dominant force in retail over the next five years.