Wal-Mart Stores Inc posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday as more people shopped its established U.S. discount stores and spent more money.
The world’s largest retailer, which was recently rocked by allegations of bribery in Mexico, earned $1.09 per share from continuing operations, compared with a profit of 98 cents a year earlier.
An earlier Easter and warmer weather contributed to the gains, the company said.
Best Buy Co Chief Executive Brian Dunn has left the world’s largest consumer electronics chain, which has struggled against stepped-up competition from internet retailers and discounters.
Under Dunn’s tenure, which lasted less than three years, critics have complained that Best Buy became a showroom for Amazon.com and other Internet retailers, with consumers going to Best Buy stores to sample electronics like high-definition televisions, but then buying them elsewhere at lower prices.
The company, seen as a bellwether in the consumer electronics industry, reported declines in same-store sales in six of the past seven quarters, including during the 2010 holiday season, when it made a bad bet on technology like 3D television that consumers did not embrace.
Despite offering bigger discounts and free shipping to lure shoppers in the 2011 holiday season, same-store sales fell 2.4 percent in the latest quarter, including a 2.2 percent decline at U.S. stores open at least 14 months.
READ MORE: Best Buy CEO resigns as shoppers move online
The Obama administration faced skeptical questioning from a US Supreme Court dominated by conservatives on Tuesday during a tense two-hour showdown over a sweeping healthcare law that has divided Americans.
Today’s graphic takes you inside the hearings giving you all the details on who is involved and the layout of the hearing.
LIVE BLOG: SCOTUS hearing on Affordable Health Care Act
LATEST: High stakes for Obama with healthcare on the line
![As gas prices inch toward $4.00, Americans are trading in their older model vehicles for new, fuel-efficient ones.
We already know that the more fuel-efficient a vehicle is, the more money is saved on gasoline; this graph puts how much savings that is into perspective. [REUTERS]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0u4ykIt9N1qmaoalo1_1280.gif)
As gas prices inch toward $4.00, Americans are trading in their older model vehicles for new, fuel-efficient ones.
We already know that the more fuel-efficient a vehicle is, the more money is saved on gasoline; this graph puts how much savings that is into perspective. [REUTERS]
Apple’s top manufacturer in China, Foxconn Technology, is having no problems luring new workers to churn out an array of Apple gadgets, despite the firm’s reputation as a tough employer amidst a thorough probe into its labor practices.
This graphic shows the different Foxconn locations throughout China. It also shows the change in number of employees & revenue since 2006.
![On Thursday, US regulators approved plans to build the first new nuclear power plant in more than 30 years, despite objections of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman, who cited safety concerns stemming from Japan’s 2011 Fukushima disaster.
The graphic above shows the locations of the 104 nuclear power plants in the US. It also provides some statistics about nuclear power worldwide. [Graphic: REUTERS]
Read more: U.S. approves first new nuclear plant in a generation](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz6zr1wP2w1qmaoalo1_1280.jpg)
On Thursday, US regulators approved plans to build the first new nuclear power plant in more than 30 years, despite objections of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman, who cited safety concerns stemming from Japan’s 2011 Fukushima disaster.
The graphic above shows the locations of the 104 nuclear power plants in the US. It also provides some statistics about nuclear power worldwide. [Graphic: REUTERS]
Read more: U.S. approves first new nuclear plant in a generation
How the mortgage settlement shapes up.
Source: ftalphaville.ft.com
