The stock market has had a great rally over the past month, but some market participants now seem to fear new signs of frothiness. Once given up for dead, meme stocks have recently rallied to show that retail investors remain confident in their ability to influence their favorite companies, and Wall Street institutions haven't found any way to lessen the resulting volatility in share prices. Shortly before 9 a.m. ET, futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) were down 208 points to 33,910. Futures on the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) had fallen 35 points to 4,273, and Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) futures had given up 118 points to 13,540.

Part of the reason for the negative sentiment on Wednesday morning was that major consumer-facing companies have revealed ongoing challenges. Target (NYSE: TGT) and its high-profile department store operations once again disappointed shareholders, while doughnut specialist Krispy Kreme (NASDAQ: DNUT) saw its stock suffer an even bigger drop. Below, you'll find the details on both companies and what their latest reports mean for the broader economy.

Shares of Target fell 2% in premarket trading Wednesday morning, giving up a portion of their gains from Tuesday. The department store giant saw continued pressure on its financial results as consumer trends change and inflationary pressures persist.

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Source Fool.com