Nordstrom (JWN) reported third-quarter earnings after the market closed Thursday that were softer than expected. The upscale department store was one of a raft of retail chains reporting this week. In addition to Nordstrom, Kohl's (KSS), Macy's (M), Dillard's (DDS) and Fossil (FOSL) have reported. The cluster of earnings reports didn't bring the outlook for holiday sales into clearer focus, though, as some easily topped estimates and predicted