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Electronics and luxury items were the fastest-growing U.S. sales categories in the retail sector in April, but weakness in apparel suggests that a sustained recovery in overall retail may be too soon to call, according to a report released on Tuesday.

Newell Rubbermaid Inc's quarterly profit beat Wall Street estimates on Friday on improving sales trends across all its markets, prompting the consumer products maker to raise its full-year outlook.

Nokia Oyj unveiled details of its first phone with new Symbian 3 software on Tuesday, designed to challenge the iPhone and Blackberry at the high-end of the market.

Futures for the Dow Jones industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 were little changed on Tuesday after U.S. equities edged lower in the previous session.

Lloyds Banking Group returned to profit in the first three months of this year, earlier than expected, as losses on both retail and commercial bad debts for Britain's largest bank continue to fall.

Wall Street is heading into another earnings blitz next week and the prospects of strong results from bellwethers like Caterpillar Inc and 3M Co should propel indexes to new recovery highs.

Sales at U.S. retailers rose more vigorously than expected in March and firming demand led businesses to rebuild inventories to a seven-month high in February, suggesting a broadening economic recovery.

Sales at U.S. retailers rose more strongly than expected in March as consumer stepped up purchases of vehicles and wide range of goods, government data showed on Wednesday, suggesting a broadening of the manufacturing-led economic recovery.

BY Chuck MikolajczakWall Street rose on Wednesday and the S&P topped the key 1,200 level, lifted by solid results from Intel and JPMorgan Chase, while retail sales data gave fresh evidence the economic recovery was broadening.

Sales at U.S. retailers rose more strongly than expected in March, pointing to a broadening of the manufacturing-led economic recovery as inflation pressures remained muted.

WHAT: U.S. March retail sales reportWHEN: Wednesday, April 14 at 8:30 a.m. ET

U.S. stocks gained on Thursday after surprisingly strong March retail sales increased optimism that the economic recovery is on track.

Top retail chains posted a record rise in monthly same-store sales for March, helped by an early Easter holiday and an improving job market, in the strongest sign yet of revived consumer demand.

U.S. stocks gained on Thursday after surprisingly strong March retail sales increased optimism that the economic recovery is on track.

U.S. stocks gained on Thursday after surprisingly strong March retail sales created optimism that a consumer spending rebound would be a harbinger of strong corporate earnings.

Stocks gained on Thursday, led by the retail sector after surprisingly strong March sales as a rebound in consumer spending was seen as a harbinger for strength in corporate earnings.

U.S. stocks edged higher on Thursday, cutting the morning's modest losses as surprisingly strong March retail sales helped offset worries over the latest twist in Greece's fiscal crisis.

Top U.S. retail chains posted a record rise in monthly same-store sales in March, helped by an early Easter holiday and an improving job market, in the strongest sign yet of revived consumer demand.

An early Easter holiday helped top U.S. retailers beat Wall Street's sales expectations as a pickup in consumer spending expanded from discounters to department stores and teen clothing chains.

A nascent pickup in consumer spending has expanded beyond discounters to teen clothing chains and other store chains, according to the first batch of March sales reports from U.S. retailers.

Vacancy rates at U.S. shopping centers and malls rose to the highest levels in at least 10 years in the first quarter, accompanied by a drop in rents that wiped out years of growth, research firm Reis Inc said on Wednesday.