Nike is breaking new ground with the HyperAdapt 1.0, its first self-lacing sneaker for the general public. The sneakers are pretty slick and easy to use for a first-generation product, and they're full of promise for things to come, as I said in my hands-on review of the shoe. For most buyers, however, there remains a $720 barrier to purchase.

New Nike HyperAdapt shoe is all about tech - Business Insider

Nike beats on top & bottom lines Nike shares erased most of their after-hours gains Tuesday evening, after better-than-expected sales and earnings results had initially sent the stock more than 5 percent higher. The pullback occurred after management said that Nike's future orders grew just 2 percent on a constant currency basis, including a 4 percent contraction in North America. That's despite the company's best efforts to shift investors' focus away from this metric, which has traditionally been used to gauge future demand. Future orders refer to goods that have been requested by wholesale customers, but were not delivered during the quarter. Last quarter, Nike said it would no longer provide this figure in its earnings releases, as a shift in selling to the web and in its branded stores has made the metric less relevant. That advisory didn't stop investors from reacting to its shortfall, which analysts had expected to increase 5.2 percent on a currency neutral basis, according to a FactSet.

Nike reports second-quarter earnings

Active-wear brands are pushing direct-to-consumer over wholesale. That means brands like Nike and Skechers are selling less stuff to their wholesale partners, and instead investing in their own sales and distribution channels. Everyone assumes that means just digital sales; that’s part of it, but companies are also building and emphasizing their own branded brick-and-mortar retail stores, too. Consider this: Nike reported that Nike Brand wholesale revenue rose 5% last quarter, while direct-to-consumer sales jumped by 18%. Under Armour reported skimpy 3% wholesale revenue expansion last quarter, but robust 20% direct-to-consumer growth. Skechers? Domestic wholesale revs were up by 6%, paling in comparison to company-owned global retail sales that roared ahead by 28%.

Buy Nike Inc (NKE) Stock While the Market Panics Over Foot Locker