Yahoo Finance

Walmart serves as the preeminent retailer in the United States, with its strategy predicated on superior operating efficiency and offering the lowest priced goods to consumers to drive robust store traffic and product turnover. Walmart augmented its low-price business strategy by offering a convenient one-stop shopping destination with the opening of its first supercenter in 1988. Today, Walmart operates over 4,600 stores in the United States (5,200 including Sam’s Club) and over 10,000 stores globally. Walmart generated over $440 billion in domestic namesake sales in fiscal 2024, with Sam’s Club contributing another $86 billion to the firm’s top line. Internationally, Walmart generated $115 billion in sales. The retailer serves around 240 million customers globally each week.

Estee Lauder manufactures and markets skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. The company's products are sold in over 150 countries and territories under a range of brand names, including Estee Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Origins, M.A.C., Bobbi Brown, La Mer, and Aveda. Estee Lauder also licenses fragrances and cosmetics under the brand names Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan, Michael Kors, and Coach. The company's sells its products through more than 30,000 retail locations, including upscale department stores, specialty retailers, high-end perfumeries, pharmacies, and salons and spas.

Walmart serves as the preeminent retailer in the United States, with its strategy predicated on superior operating efficiency and offering the lowest priced goods to consumers to drive robust store traffic and product turnover. Walmart augmented its low-price business strategy by offering a convenient one-stop shopping destination with the opening of its first supercenter in 1988. Today, Walmart operates over 4,600 stores in the United States (5,200 including Sam’s Club) and over 10,000 stores globally. Walmart generated over $440 billion in domestic namesake sales in fiscal 2024, with Sam’s Club contributing another $86 billion to the firm’s top line. Internationally, Walmart generated $115 billion in sales. The company serves around 240 million customers globally each week.

At midday Thursday, the major benchmarks are hugging the flat line. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note is also flat at around 4.36%. Crude oil is up 1% at around $79 per barrel, while Bitcoin is up 1.6% to around $65,800. Weekly unemployment claims fell 10,000 to 232,000, according to the Department of Labor. This follows last week's claims that were at the highest level since last August. This data is seen as a proxy for layoffs and is an indicator of the state of the labor market. The average number of weekly claims over the past decade is 375,000. This week's claims number brings the four-week average up to 217,750. Bigger picture, the April Jobs report did show signs that the labor market is cooling. That is what the Fed is hoping will happen.