Big bricks-and-mortar stores say it with earnings: we're not penny stocks

US stocks fell slightly last week, but there was a reprieve for the retail sector going into the critical holiday-shopping season.

Major indexes could hit new record highs this week if the retail renaissance continues and Congress makes more progress on tax legislation.

Wal-Mart Stores saved the Dow Jones Industrial Average from a bigger decline last week and brought non-online retail stocks back from the dead. Shares of the Arkansas chain, the world's largest retailer by sales, hit record highs after it regained its growth mojo.