By Kathy Bergen |
Signs of potential retail recovery sent shares of Lake Forest-based Brunswick Corp. up by 8 percent Wednesday to close at $17.78 on the New York Stock Exchange.

“There is a general sense of optimism that the marine industry is turning,” said Hayley Wolff, senior analyst with Rochdale Research in New York.  Brunswick, whose products include a range of boats and boating equipment, is well-positioned to benefit from an industry comeback, she said.

The stock market reacted favorably to a number of economic indicators on
Wednesday, including a Commerce Department report that retail sales
rose 1.6 percent in March, the third straight monthly gain.

Still, the appetite for high-ticket, discretionary purchases may take a
while to recover, said Philip Gorham, a consumer products analyst with
Morningstar Inc. in Chicago.

“I would think it would take a substantial turnaround in consumer
confidence for people to start buying boats again,” he said. “This
particular industry may have a couple more challenging quarters before
it sees a recovery in demand.”