Retail Stocks Climb Amid Flood of Good News

Key TakeawaysRetail stocks advanced en masse on Thursday after solid quarterly results from Walmart and a jump in retail sales boosted Wall Street's optimism about the sector.Walmart cited "a generally stable consumer" when it raised its full-year sales and earnings forecast. U.S. retail sales increased 1% in July, much more than the 0.3% increase economists were expecting. Americans are still shopping, and Walmart’s strong quarterly results suggest they’re increasingly frequenting value-oriented retailers ...