Market unfazed by top line disappointment

Investors didn’t seem to mind that January same-store sales results that Wal-Mart reported on Thursday for its U.S. operations were weaker than expected. Despite the disappointment, shares of the company traded higher on the day following an early morning sale release that showed January comps totaled 0.2%, compared to guidance of 2%. The news caused shares to open sharply lower at $47.85 from Wednesday’s close of $48.83. However, Wal-Mart shares staged a recovery throughout the day on heavier than normal trading volume to close up $1.01 at $49.84.