Although headline figures have been robust — Walmart forecasting net sales to grow by as much as 4.75% for the year and US retail sales up 1% — a look under the hood showed some signs that the consumer is not all that fit.
Strong results from the largest retailer and a robust monthly sales report went a long way toward easing worries about the health of the American consumer.
But a slate of Wall Street analysts want more evidence, raising the stakes next week for earnings reports from Target, Macy’s and TJ Maxx owner TJX Cos.
