Walmart's strong quarter shows Americans are still spending

Walmart Inc. on Thursday raised its outlook after beating Wall Street expectations, fueled largely by strong e-commerce and higher sales across categories even as consumers remain cautious in a challenging economy. The Arkansas-based company, which offers a snapshot of how the American consumer, reported revenue of $179.5 billion during the three-month period ending on Oct. 31. That's higher than the $177 billion projected by Wall Street and up 6% from a year earlier. Total sales for Walmart U.S. climbed 5.1% to $120.7 billion in the three-month period and online sales jumped 28%, marking the