Among the utilities banding together include New Jersey’s Public Service Enterprise Group (NYSE: PEG), FPL (NYSE: FPL) and PNM Resources (NYSE: PNM). On top of that, some retailers have joined in, including The Gap (NYSE: GPS); Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and PG&E (NYSE: PCG) left the Chamber and Nike (NYSE: NKE) has quit the board.

Cassandra Sweet for The Wall Street Journal reports that the new group is formed by utility companies across the United States. The goal is for Congress to enact a strong climate-change  legislation, and as one CEO puts it, it’s not about just a few associations saying “stop this.” (10 ways to play Obama’s energy plan).

Today, 10 of the 12 Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee supported the measure to reduce U.S. greenhouse emissions through a cap-and-trade bill. Simon Lomax for Bloomberg reports that Senate Democrats won approval over Republicans, who feel the plan is being rushed.

For more stories about utilities, visit our utility category.

• iShares Dow Jones U.S. Utilities (NYSEArca: IDU): up 2% year-to-date;  PEG 3.6%; FPL 4.5%; PCG 3.6%

• Vanguard Utilities ETF (NYSEArca: VPU): up 0.9% year-to-date; FPL 5.2%; PCG 3.5%

• iShares S&P Global Utilities (JXI): down 1% year-to-date; FPL 2.3% FPL; PCG 1.7%

• PowerShares Dynamic Utilities (NYSEArca: PUI): down 4.9% year-to-date; FPL 4.6%

• iShares S&P Global Nuclear Energy Index (NYSEArca: NUCL): up 30.6% year-to-date; FPL 5%

• PowerShares Dynamic Retail (NYSEArca: PMR): up 20.8% year-to-date; GPS 5.7%

Consumer buying habits appear to be evolving with the economy, meaning that the consumer is looking for ways and places to shop that stretch their dollar. The Chief Executive Officer of Wal-Mart (WMT) H. Lee Scott Jr. thinks that the typical American consumer is really concerned about their job right now, leading to a change in the way they spend their money, reports Horacio Marquesfor Money Morning.

Proof of the change in spending habits is evidenced by the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart, who last month reported a 10% jump in its third-quarter earnings per share; the company’s sales jumped 10%. A double-digit gain in profits during a recession isn’t so bad.

Changes within consumerism is also found on the pharmaceutical level, where there is an increase in self-treatment; more consumers are cooking at home and purchasing frozen items that store well; small business owners also alter their business pattern to match cash flow, meaning more frequent trips for one days’ supply, especially on the small restaurant level. Wal-Mart stores are accommodating to all of these shifts.

• Retail HOLDRs (RTH): down 18.4% year-to-date; Wal-Mart is 26.4%

• PowerShares Dynamic Retail (PMR): down 19.7% year-to-date; Wal-Mart 5.4%

Meanwhile, Proctor and Gamble (PG) has cut their second quarter 2009 outlook as they are not able to meet basic sales target growth. This includes sales from acquisitions, of 4-6% due to the stronger dollar and weakness because of private brands, explains Vinya Ayala for Daily Markets.

• Vanguard Consumer Staples (VDC): down 18.4% year-to-date; P&G 14.8%; Wal-Mart is 9.5%

Malls and department stores are empty, and to compete for customers’ attention, retailers are now offering up great sales and deals before the Christmas season has officially begun. Online, however, there is an even bigger war going on, as retail sites are price-cutting and offering free shipping to boot, report Claire Cain Miller and Brad Stone for The New York Times.

Traffic on certain sites have hit a wall, so to speak, with sales down almost 25% at some stores. Some have been in business for more than 25 years and have never seen a drop-off as steep as this one. Sales of music, movies, books, computer software, flowers and gifts have been hit the hardest, with double-digit declines, research firm comScore said.

Not everyone is joining in, though. Some retailers and sites are not offering up discounts because of pricing control or the need to make a profit. But other companies feel that even if you sell the product for less than what the wholesale was, at least you sold it. On New York’s fabled Fifth Avenue, retailers are desperately trying to lure customers.

Either way, the consumer is in the driver’s seat and options are plentiful. Look into retailmenot.com for “sale” emails and compare your choices.

• SPDR Retail (XRT), down 52% year-to-date

• PowerShares Dynamic Retail Fund (PMR), down 34.8% year-to-date

The overall outlook for the back-to-school season looks less cheery than it did a few weeks ago, as retailers are once again showing that consumers are shifting back into buying necessities. Jobless claims are at six-year highs, food and gas prices are still up there and the stimulus checks have largely been spent, reports Anne D’Inocenzio for the Associated Press.

That’s cutting into shopping for things such as new clothes and other discretionary items.

Two of the world’s largest discount retailers, Wal-Mart (WMT) and Costco (COST), posted solid gains. They have been throughout most of the economic turmoil, and it’s seen as more evidence that consumers are looking for bargains when it comes to even the most basic of household items.

Even so, Wal-Mart’s results fell short of forecasts, and projected that sales would slow in August.

Mall-based apparel stores such as Limited Brands (LTD) and Gap (GPS) noted even bigger declines. Gap’s same-store sales were off by 11%.

Among the ETFs that could feel the pinch as consumers tighten the reins include:

• SPDR S&P Retail (XRT): down 6.9% year-to-date; Limited is 2.1%
• Retail HOLDRs (RTH): down 1.7% year-to-date; Wal-Mart is 21.5%; Costco is 5.9%
• PowerShares Dynamic Retail (PMR): down 0.5% year-to-date; Gap is 4.2%