Tough talk on China

HONG KONG (CNNMoney) -- President Obama and Mitt Romney each used their second presidential debate to talk tough on China.

Romney pledged that he would label China as a currency manipulator on his first day in office -- a promise he frequently works into his campaign speeches. And he accused China of "stealing" designs, patents and technology pioneered by U.S. companies.

"There's even an Apple store in China that's a counterfeit Apple store, selling counterfeit goods," Romney said. "They hack into our computers. We will have to have people play on a fair basis."

Obama was more circumspect in his use of language, but he touted the trade complaints his administration has filed against China over auto parts. Obama also recently blocked the sale of American wind farm companies to a Chinese firm.

Talking tough on China has become a campaign ritual for politicians of both parties -- even if, as experts predict, the rhetoric moderates after Nov. 6 regardless of who wins.

Related: Americans: China is an economic threat

The latest criticisms from the Republican candidate comes after the Treasury Department last week delayed the release of a report that has in the past criticized China for keeping the value of its currency artificially low.

Delays are nothing new, but the next edition of the report is now unlikely to be issued until after the election.

The president has run a campaign that has repeatedly sought to draw connections between Romney's tenure at Bain Capital and the outsourcing of American jobs to China.

"Mitt Romney: tough on China? Since when?" a recent ad asked.

"[Romney] says he's gonna take the fight to them, he's going to go after these cheaters, and I've got to admit, that message is better than what he has actually done about this thing," Obama said earlier this month in Ohio.

Romney and Obama are not the first presidential candidates to beat up on China.

Bill Clinton famously referred to China's leaders as the "butchers of Beijing" during the 1992 presidential race. Four years later, George W. Bush criticized Clinton for being too easy on China.

"These guys all ate crow," said David Zweig, an associate dean at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. "Once in office, presidents tend to change their behavior."

That shift is not surprising given the nature of the relationship. China is one of the United States' largest trading partners, and the economies of the two countries -- the largest and second largest in the world -- are increasingly interconnected.

Related: Ford posts record Chinese sales

Beijing holds more than $1 trillion in U.S. debt, and U.S. exports to China are on the rise. China's currency, the yuan, has been allowed to appreciate in recent years but many American businesses argue it still does not reflect its true market value, giving Chinese exporters an unfair competitive advantage.

Many analysts worry that Romney's plan to label China a currency manipulator could backfire, and the specificity of the promise leaves him few options but to follow through.

"He has created a huge problem for himself," Zweig said. "He has said consistently he will do it. So how does he climb down from that?"

Economists are even more worried about the second part of Romney's initial China plan, which is to direct the Department of Commerce to institute countervailing duties on Chinese imports if China "does not quickly move to float its currency."

That could spark a trade war between the two countries -- a circumstance likely to end unhappily for both Beijing and Washington.

Related: Romney's China attacks worry business

The Obama administration has taken protectionist actions, introducing tariffs on Chinese-made solar panels and tires.

But the benefits have been hard to discern, and consumers have ended up paying more for goods. According to a study by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the tire tariff cost American consumers a total of $1.1 billion in 2011.

Chinese officials have tolerated the campaign rhetoric with relatively good humor so far. Comment has been restricted to editorials in state-run media that are particularly critical of Romney.

Zweig said that China's top officials are very much in tune with the realities of American politics, even down to which states are crucial to secure electoral victory.

But talk is one thing, Zweig said, and action is another. Should a future administration depart from precedent and become significantly more aggressive toward China, Beijing will respond.

First Published: October 16, 2012: 7:29 PM ET

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The 5%: Romney defines 'rich'

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Mitt Romney has been saying that under his tax plan, high-income households would continue to pay the same share of taxes as they pay today.

During Tuesday night's town hall debate with President Obama, he got more specific.

"The top 5% of taxpayers will continue to pay 60% of the income tax the nation collects. So that'll stay the same," Romney said.

Who is in the top 5%?

This year, the top 5% of households have at least $181,000 in adjusted gross income, according to estimates from the Tax Policy Center. By 2014, that number is projected to rise to $200,000.

As a group, the top 5% will pay about 57% of all federal income taxes this year.

Note that Romney's promise to freeze the share of taxes paid by the rich is not necessarily the same as saying the tax bills of some high-income filers wouldn't go down. As with any tax reform proposal, some members of an income group would pay more and some would pay less.

(Related: Middle class promises hard to keep)

Under Romney's plan, the top 5% of households -- and every other household -- would have their income tax rates cut by 20%. His plan would also repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax and the estate tax. Finally, it would make investment income tax free for those earning less than $100,000 ($200,000 if married).

Romney on Tuesday night also reiterated that he would pay for all of his tax cuts, estimated to cost $5 trillion over a decade.

"I'm going to limit deductions and exemptions and credits, particularly for people at the high end, because I am not going to have people at the high end pay less than they're paying now," he said.

One way he might do so is to cap how much a tax filer can claim in various tax breaks, he has said.

Earlier this month, when Romney mentioned the idea of a cap, he was talking about itemized deductions. His campaign told CNNMoney that such a cap would be adopted in conjunction with curbs on other tax breaks -- namely, personal exemptions and the tax-free benefit workers receive when their employers help pay for their health insurance.

At Tuesday's debate, his comments suggested the cap might apply to a broader swath of breaks, including tax credits.

"I'll pick a number -- $25,000 of deductions and credits, and you can decide which ones to use," Romney said. "Your home mortgage interest deduction, charity, child tax credit, and so forth; you can use those as part of filling that bucket ... of deductions."

Indeed, he's been offering a lot of options that could pay for his tax cuts. "The governor has described other approaches as well, and he will work with Congress to negotiate tax reform to ensure his goals are met," a Romney campaign spokesperson said after the debate.

A cap of $25,000 might significantly curtail the tax savings enjoyed by many in the top 5%.

Most households in that income group took an average of $43,208 in itemized deductions alone last year, while those in the top 1% took an average of $173,670, according to Tax Policy Center estimates.

First Published: October 17, 2012: 1:03 AM ET

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Can presidents change gas prices?

HONG KONG (CNNMoney) -- A disagreement over gas prices and energy policy produced a heated tit-for-tat argument between Mitt Romney and President Obama at the second presidential debate.

Romney suggested the president's policies have restricted energy development on federal lands. Obama disagreed. Both stuck to their political talking points.

But neither candidate really addressed the original question: Should the government -- and specifically the Department of Energy -- be working to reduce the price of gasoline?

By casting the question aside, both candidates managed to avoid making a specific promise about gasoline prices.

The truth is that politicians and the government, for the most part, have very little real control over gasoline prices.

The price Americans pay at the pump is tied to the crude oil market -- a global system largely beyond the reach of Washington.

It's certainly true that prices -- now about $3.75 a gallon on average -- have risen since President Obama took office.

When Obama took office, the country was mired in a terrible economic contraction. During recessions, demand for gasoline plummets as trucks pull off the road, companies cut back on travel and laid off workers drive fewer miles.

And since early 2009, the economy has haltingly improved, and demand for crude has risen. It has also spiked in the developing world -- especially in China, India and South America.

It's a point Obama was eager to make.

"When I took office, the price of gasoline was $1.80, $1.86. Why is that?" Obama asked. "Because the economy was on the verge of collapse, because we were about to go through the worst recession since the Great Depression."

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is one tool the president does have at his disposal.

The SPR is located in man-made underground salt domes in Texas and Louisiana. It holds around 727 million barrels of oil. Many analysts say the reserve should only be used in case of an actual shortage of oil, not simply to lower prices.

In June, Obama tapped the stockpile and released 30 million barrels of oil from the SPR, citing a disruption in supply from Libya. The move was done in conjunction with other developed nations and ultimately put 60 million barrels of fuel on the market over the course of a month.

Related: The SPR explained

The decision was viewed by many analysts as a political one. And really, that's one of the few options the government has to lower prices.

While increased oil and gas drilling in the United States may create good-paying jobs, reduce reliance on foreign oil and lower the trade deficit, it would have little impact on gas and oil prices.

That's because the amount of extra oil that could be produced from more drilling in this country is tiny compared to what the country -- and the world -- consumes.

Plus, any extra oil the United States did produce would likely be quickly offset by a cut in OPEC production.

According to a 2009 study from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, drilling off the East Coast, West Coast and the west coast of Florida would yield an extra 500,000 barrels a day by 2030.

The world currently consumes 89 million barrels a day, and by then would likely be using over 100 million barrels.

After OPEC got done adjusting its production to reflect the increased American output, gas prices might drop three cents a gallon, the study said.

First Published: October 17, 2012: 1:35 AM ET

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Jump-start your smart phone

Pick out the best pocket-sized battery charger for how you use your device.

(Money Magazine) -- Fact of life: The more you use a gadget, the more likely its battery will be dead just when you need it most. If you're tired of hunting for outlets, try a pocket-size battery charger.

MONEY put three through their paces.

FOR GADGET-HEADS ONLY

Iogear High Capacity Mobile Power Station
Power rating: 6½ stars
Weight: 7.2 ounces
Price: $48
How it works: If the inside of your bag looks like a Best Buy, you may be willing to carry extra weight to get a charger that powers multiple devices. The Power Station has dual USB outputs, one for phones and one for tablets. It's bulkier than the others, but it fully charged an iPad 2 and brought an iPhone back to 100% four times over. (It can also power up most USB or micro-USB devices.)

FOR EVERYONE (BEST OVERALL)

Innergie PocketCell
Power rating: 3 stars
Weight: 2.6 ounces
Price: $68
How it works: The lightest and most totable of the bunch, the slick-looking PocketCell took an iPhone battery from dead to 100% charged, with juice left over. It can fully charge an e-reader, and gave the iPad an extra four hours of life. The battery also spares users from sorting through a jumble of cords, thanks to its three-in-one cable with fold-out connectors for Apple, mini-USB, and micro-USB devices.

Related: Top 4 compact portable scanners

FOR WIRE-PHOBES ONLY

Duracell 24-Hour Power System for iPhone
Power rating: 1½ stars
Weight: 3.2 ounces
Price: $91
How it works: Hate keeping tabs on multiple device chargers? This two-in-one system combines a portable battery with a home charging mat. The mat can wirelessly juice an iPhone (the phone must be in the included case) or revive the portable battery, case-free. The mobile battery itself delivers little bang for your buck, though: It left the iPhone just short of a full charge.

Power rating: Each star equals five hours added talk time. Power ratings determined by MONEY tests using an iPhone 4S.

Battery Boosters

Go into your phone's settings and make these tweaks to ward off the Red Icon of Impending Doom.

Dim the lights. Dial down screen brightness. If available, enable the auto-brightness feature, which adjusts based on ambient light.

Turn off extras. Disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS features when you're not using them. And don't use power-draining animated wallpapers.

Pare down pop-ups. Limit push notifications -- those annoying messages that show up even when you're not using an app -- to essentials like texts.

Have an emergency plan. Switching from 4G to a slower 3G cellular network can eke a few more minutes of life out of a dying battery.

Send The Help Desk your questions about buying tech gadgets.

First Published: October 15, 2012: 1:43 PM ET

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Indonesia: The newest BRIC?

Indonesia's economy is expected to grow 6% over the next several years.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The-so called BRIC nations may need to add a fifth member: Indonesia.

Brazil, Russia, India and China were once considered the hottest emerging markets in the world. But they have been skidding this year.

Indonesia, on the other hand, remains one of the fasting growing economies thanks to a rising middle class and strong domestic consumption. In turn, investors and analysts say they expect it to stay a ripe area for investments over the short and long-term.

"Consumers are heading up the value chain and using more expensive soaps and dishwashing detergents," said Bharat Joshi, assistant investment manager of Indonesian equity funds for money manager Aberdeen, which has roughly $500 million invested there. "We're seeing companies do well that reflect the rising income levels in Indonesia."

While Indonesia's economy took a significant hit during the late 1990s Asian financial crisis, the southeast Asian country largely evaded the more recent global downturn.
Indonesia's main stock index, the Jakarta Index, has trailed the S&P 500 only slightly over the past two years. It's returned 19%, compared to the S&P 500, which is up 20%.

More importantly, analysts say Indonesia and its growing middle class is buffered from some of the pressures hitting other fast-growing nations. Unlike many of its neighbors, the country's growth isn't solely dictated by exports. Instead its growing middle class is fueling something of a virtuous cycle where more goods and services are produced and purchased in rapidly urbanizing cities throughout the archipelago.

The Indonesian government has tamed inflation even as domestic growth has chugged along at roughly 6% per year over the past few years. That's expected to continue.

McKinsey & Co. predicts that Indonesia will be the 7th largest economy in the world and add 90 million additional members to its middle class by 2030. Right now, there are 45 million middle class Indonesians, and it ranks as the 16th largest economy in the world.

Many of the companies represented in the Jakarta index are commodities companies, as Indonesia is one of the top producers of coal and palm oil in the world. That could make Indonesia's stock market more vulnerable to macroeconomic swings since commodities companies are more dependent on global growth.

Betting on Brazil

But Indonesia's banks and consumer products companies are still expected to report sharp growth, analysts said. Astra, Indonesia's largest auto dealer and a holder of stakes in local banks, is among the companies likely to benefit from the continued growth of the middle class. Unilever Indonesia, a majority-owned subsidiary of British-Dutch consumer products giant Unilever (UL) is another.

Aberdeen's Indonesian funds are up roughly 20% year-to-date by finding small and medium-sized "value" companies, Joshi said. Among them: Holcim, the local subsidiary of a Swiss cement company, and Multi Bintang Indonesia, the local subsidiary of Heineken. Those stocks are up 28% and 96% respectively.

One way for U.S. investors to gain easy access to Indonesia is through ETFs. Two major ETFs are Market Vectors Indonesia Index ETF (IDX) and iShares MSCI Indonesia Investable Market Index Fund (EIDO). Their returns have underperformed the Jakarta Index this year though.

As is the case with many emerging markets, there are still many risks. Indonesia has made a big push to clean up corporate governance issues with many of its companies, but more may need to be done to attract more capital to the country.

"We've seen reforms in Indonesia but they're not always deep enough," said Dhiren Shah, a portfolio manager at Blackrock focusing on Indonesia. "The challenges are that it's still a young market with not as much liquidity or turnover as we'd like to see in stocks or the stock exchange."

First Published: October 15, 2012: 9:42 PM ET

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Amazon to hire 50,000 seasonal workers

Amazon currently employs 20,000 people at its 40 fulfillment centers across the country.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- It's only October, but companies like Amazon are already thinking about the holidays. The online retailer is the latest to announce its seasonal hiring plan, and it's significant: 50,000 jobs in the United States

Amazon (AMZN, Fortune 500) currently employs 20,000 people at its 40 fulfillment centers across the country, where the seasonal employees will be placed. The company said it expects thousands of seasonal workers to stay at Amazon in full-time positions after the holidays are over.

Amazon didn't specify the types of positions for which it's hiring, but workers at the fulfillment centers typically perform a range of tasks involved in online orders: Pulling items from warehouse shelves, packing up boxes for shipment and storing incoming merchandise.

It's just one of several big seasonal hiring announcements recently. Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that as of last week, U.S. retailers -- including restaurants -- have so far announced plans to hire 413,700 seasonal workers. That's a five-year high for seasonal hiring.

Macy's (M, Fortune 500), which also owns Bloomingdale's department stores, plans to bring on 80,000 temporary workers. The retailer said it will need the extra workers to staff its sales floors, store operations and call centers, as well as shipping centers for online orders.

Toys R Us said last month that it will hire 45,000 seasonal workers, an increase of 5,000 compared to last year. Department store chain Kohl's (KSS, Fortune 500) also announced last month that it will hire 52,700 seasonal workers, which is a 10% jump compared to the prior year.

The stores are all hoping to take advantage of a holiday sales season that's expected to be strong. Earlier this month, the National Retail Federation predicted that the season's sales will increase 4.1% from last year, to $586 billion.

Holiday sales rose 5.6% last year, and have risen 3.5% on average over the past decade, the NRF said. The industry group defines "holiday sales" as retail industry sales in November and December excluding car dealers, gas stations and restaurants.

First Published: October 16, 2012: 12:37 AM ET

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Stocks: Economy, earnings and Europe gun for attention

Click the chart for more stock market data

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Investors have a lot to contend with this week, as U.S. economic data, earnings reports and developments out of the eurozone will make waves.

A deluge of reports on the U.S. economy will give investors a status report on the nation's economic health in the three weeks before the presidential elections.

Last month's jump in gas prices will likely play a role in several data points this week, including the value of retail sales and consumer prices in September, which are due out Monday and Tuesday.

Investors will also get a glimpse into manufacturing and industrial production, which has been struggling under pressure from a global slowdown across the sector.

The housing market, a bright spot on the otherwise slow recovery, will once again be in the spotlight, with reports on housing starts, building permits, mortgage rates and existing home sales popping up throughout the week.

Related: A new housing boom

Economists believe that the nation's housing market has finally turned the corner and expect home prices to continue to rise, with some analysts predicting that we're on the brink of another housing boom. Mortgage rates are likely to remain near record lows thanks to the Federal Reserve's monthly purchase of $40 billion in mortgages for the foreseeable future.

In corporate news, earnings will once again be in focus this week. Investors will get a sense of how heavily the global slowdown has weighed on business revenues and profits. Lackluster earnings could hamper this year's stock market rally.

Three more investment banks are expected to report earnings this week, deepening the understanding of whether lending has picked up and how strong the housing recovery has been. Results from Citigroup (C, Fortune 500), Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) and Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500) are on tap.

JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) was the first to report earnings last week, and came in with record profits for the third quarter. The bank cited new mortgages and refinancings as the key driver of overall results. Mortgage lending also lifted Well Fargo's (WFC, Fortune 500) quarterly results to record levels, but revenue still fell short of analysts' estimates.

Analysts expect to see similar results from banks this week.

"Given what we saw out of Wells and JP Morgan, I'd expect banks to come in around the same," said Rex Macey, chief investment officer at Wilmington Trust Investment Advisers. "The regulators are playing such a big role in some of these institutions that it leads to greater consistency in reporting. It's a little more predictable."

A slew of tech and mobile companies are also on deck.

Investors will pay particular attention to results from Intel (INTC, Fortune 500), Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) and IBM (IBM, Fortune 500), since shipments of personal computers are on pace to fall this year for the first time since the dot-com bust of 2001.

Intel already cut its third-quarter sales forecast last month, and rival chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD, Fortune 500) followed suit last week, warning that third-quarter revenue could decline 10% from the previous quarter.

Related: Fear & Greed Index

Worries about the eurozone will also come into play this week. European Union leaders will come together for the EU Council meeting on Thursday and Friday. They are expected to discuss reforms on banking, but many anticipate that there could be pressure on Spain to request a bailout in exchange for European Central Bank support.

Spain came under more pressure last week, as Standard & Poor's lowered its credit rating on the ailing nation last week, stating that "the government's room to maneuver to contain the crisis has diminished."

U.S. stocks ended the week lower. The Dow lost more than 2%, the biggest weekly decline since June 1. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq suffered similar declines.

First Published: October 14, 2012: 8:40 AM ET

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Inflation slows in China

Prices in China were up 1.9% in September compared to the previous year.

HONG KONG (CNNMoney) -- Chinese consumers paid 1.9% more for goods in September than they did a year ago, the government's National Bureau of Statistics reported Monday. That's down from a 2% increase in August.

Food prices, which account for more than a third of the inflation calculation, rose 2.5% during the month.

Household finances in China are especially susceptible to fluctuations in food prices, as many poor families spend large percentages of their income on food.

Still, inflation remains at very low levels. As recently as one year ago, China's consumer price index stood above 6% -- well north of the government's stated inflation rate target of 4%.

In July, officials said that annual economic growth dropped to 7.6% in the second quarter -- down from 8.1% the previous quarter. The government will issue its third quarter GDP report later this week, and economists expect growth to remain well below 8%.

Some analysts have recently lowered their growth forecasts for the rest of the year, while some noted that weakness is likely to extend into 2013.

The People's Bank of China twice lowered interest rates this year in an effort to spur growth, and the central bank has also cut the amount of money banks are required to hold in reserves.

The government confirmed more action last month, finalizing the details on a $157.7 billion investment in 55 new infrastructure products.

China's once-in-a-decade leadership transition is scheduled to start Nov. 8. The timing of the event, which will reshape the ranks of China's Communist Party, could put any policy changes on hold.

Related: Will China's auto boycott backfire?

Economists at UBS said Monday that further action is unlikely after a round of positive trade data that has eased concerns.

"We do not expect the government to come up with any major new stimulus, either during the leadership transition or after, unless the economy takes a turn for the much worse," the bank said in a research note.

First Published: October 14, 2012: 11:01 PM ET

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Bernanke defends Fed against international criticism

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke defended the Fed against foreign criticism on Sunday.

HONG KONG (CNNMoney) -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke defended the central bank Sunday, insisting that its actions had not hindered economic growth in developing countries.

Fed policies -- especially continued quantitative easing -- have been criticized by some in the international community who say the actions are distorting currency markets and capital flows in emerging economies.

Officials in some of those markets -- including China -- have voiced concern that the Fed's easy-money policies have the potential to create asset bubbles, currency appreciation and inflation. Guido Mantega, Brazil's finance minister, has been particularly critical of the Fed, alleging it has contributed to a "monetary tsunami" that is hindering growth.

The Fed announced last month that it would embark on a third round of bond-buying stimulus. The policy, known as quantitative easing and often abbreviated as QE3, entails buying $40 billion in mortgage-backed securities each month.

But Bernanke argued Sunday that those policies are not to be blamed for trouble in emerging markets.

"It is not at all clear that accommodative policies in advanced economies impose net costs on emerging market economies," the Fed chief said during a speech in Tokyo, Japan.

Bernanke said that capital flows are influenced by many factors, and changes cannot be attributed wholesale to the monetary policy choices of developed economies. Instead, policymakers in the developing world have great influence over capital flows, Bernanke said.

Bernanke then went further, saying that the systematic devaluation of currencies in some emerging markets have made those countries more susceptible to inflation risk.

"The perceived advantages of undervaluation and the problem of unwanted capital inflows must be understood as a package -- you can't have one without the other," Bernanke said.

Related: Market wants QE4. Fed should say no.

Bernanke did not specifically name any countries in his speech, but China has been consistently accused of intervening in the foreign exchange market to depress the value of its currency, the yuan.

Critics are not convinced the Fed's quantitative easing program will boost growth. But Bernanke defended the policy again Sunday, saying the purchases should help speed the economic recovery and help job creation -- gains that he says will translate internationally.

"Monetary easing that supports the recovery in the advanced economies should stimulate trade and boost growth in emerging market economies as well," Bernanke said.

First Published: October 15, 2012: 1:27 AM ET

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Target zeroes in on exercise fanatics

Target's athletic wear line, C9 by Champion, is opening its first stand-alone store in San Francisco, Ca., on Sunday.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Sports bras. Yoga pants. Spandex shorts. Athletic wear is everywhere.

Just ask Target. The cheap-chic retailer is opening a standalone store for its athletic line C9 on Sunday in San Francisco.

C9 has been a runaway hit for Target (TGT, Fortune 500). Eight years ago, C9 was just a line of sports bras made by sportswear manufacturer Champion. Today, C9 makes running shoes, snow pants, and sweatshirts for men, women and children. It also rakes in a billion dollars annually.

That puts it in the same league as the trendy yoga apparel maker Lululemon (LULU). Maker of the best selling $100 yoga pants called Lulus, the company has had one of the hottest stocks this year with a 57% gain, and expects to rake in $1.3 billion in annual sales. Compared to Lulus, C9's premium yoga pants will be priced at $40.

Related: Lululemon CEO: How to build trust inside your company

In a way, Target is following in the footsteps of rival Gap (GPS, Fortune 500), which also runs 28 standalone stores for its sportswear brand Athleta.

Athletic apparel has exploded in recent years, partly because of the focus on healthier, active lifestyles. From First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" initiative to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's attack on sugar-rich sodas, there's been a concerted move from public personalities to push for healthy living.

Active wear has also become part of many people's everyday wardrobes. More people are embracing yoga pants and hoodies in and out of the gym. Women's active wear alone has doubled in the last 10 years to a $14 billion industry, according to research firm the NPD Group. It is expected to grow 9% this year.

"It's one of the few categories in all of fashion, and all of retail, that has been consistently doing well," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at the NPD Group.

Cohen points out that active wear is one of the few lines of clothing that is constantly improving because of new technology, like moisture-wicking fabric and hidden pockets for keys. With exercise, also comes a lot of wear-and-tear, which means they need to be replaced more often.

Cohen expects growth for athletic wear to come in at lower price points, which could be a boon for Target. It already sells its C9 line in its 1,700 stores as well as on Target.com

Target said it didn't have plans to open more C9 stores yet.

"We'll take cues from our customers," said Joshua Thomas, a Target spokesman.

First Published: October 12, 2012: 5:48 PM ET

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