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Retail sales and industrial production in April both enjoyed continued growth, reinforcing the sustainability of the economic recovery in the United States. On Friday the U.S. Commerce Department reported retail sales gained 0.4% in April, ahead of Wall Street’s expected 0.2% rise, but below the 2.1% jump in March. Peter Newland, economist at Barclays Capital, notes that the total was driven by a 0.5% increase in both autos and gasoline, and a 6.9% jump in building material sales. All of that is nice, but core sales, which exclude these elements, actually fell 0.2%, which is much weaker than excepted.

J.C. Penney posted a sharply higher profit, aided by lower pension costs and a modest improvement in sales.

Early reports from retailers show that Americans took a a breather from their March shopping spree in April, partly because Easter came earlier. But the spring selling season is ending up respectable, an encouraging sign for the economy....

A sharply divided federal appeals court on Monday exposed Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to billions of dollars in legal damages when it ruled a massive class action lawsuit alleging gender discrimination over pay for female workers can go to trial....

So strong was the antibusiness sentiment for the first Earth Day in 1970 that organizers took no money from corporations and held teach-ins “to challenge corporate and government leaders.” Forty years later, the day has turned into a premier marketing platform for selling a variety of goods and services, like office products, Greek yogurt and eco-dentistry.

7-Eleven, the international convenience store chain, is making another large step into the used gaming market by announcing a program to sell value-priced used games in half of its U.S-based stores.

Retail sales soared in March, the government said Wednesday, in the latest sign of improving consumer confidence.

PRICE CUTS: Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is trumpeting what it calls a large round of price-cutting on all of its products, including food. The world's largest retailer says it will cut prices on 10,000 items in stages.

THE SKEPTICS: Analysts question whether the changes differ meaningfully from the retailer's usual promotions. They also note Wal-Mart's prices undercut competitors less than they used to.
THE REASON: Analysts say the cuts are Wal-Mart's way of responding to toughened competition. The company's fourth-quarter report showed store traffic dropped.

Warmer weather and an earlier Easter enticed shoppers into stores for spring merchandise in March, helping retailers post strong sales gains for the month....

Downloading content is becoming increasingly big business for the online retailer, which already has download offerings for its Kindle eBook, MP3 music and movies.