Business

Sales may mean dim holidays

When it came to buying their children new jeans and trendy tops, parents held the line: They focused on basics at discounters and waited for the best deals, resulting in weak August sales at many stores. That's a bad sign for the holiday season, because families might be just as cautious with their gift-giving.

Ciena falls 25 percent

Linthicum-based Ciena Corp., the maker of network equipment for AT&T Inc., yesterday had its biggest drop in Nasdaq trading in seven years after its fourth-quarter revenue forecast trailed analysts' estimates as customers delayed orders.