WALMART REPORTS HIGHER IN-STORE, ONLINE TRAFFIC

Walmart, the nation’s biggest retailer, reported Thursday that store traffic ticked up 1.2 percent during the most recent quarter, and the amount each customer spent was 2.2 percent higher than during the same three-month period the year before. Those visits helped spark a 3.4 percent increase in U.S. sales, with online sales soaring 43 percent. Walmart’s net income was $1.7 billion, or 58 cents per share.