(Lee Siler) - Positive earnings news out of Wal-Mart is being over shadowed by surprisingly negative news in the over-all retail sector. The world's largest retailer reported flat earnings from the previous year, but beat analysts' expectations. Wal-Mart's quarterly profit came in at 88 cents a share versus the 85 cents Wall Street was expecting. Cost cutting measures helped the retail giant achieve higher profit margins as well. What's more, the company raised the lower end of their profit guidance. On the news, Wal-Mart is trading higher in the pre-market.

Read the rest of this entry »