article reviews (50 words each)

Walmart sells worst on record
Walmart lost approximately 1.1 percent decline due to gas prices, easter, and the weather. Other retailers also reported losts due to the weather which hurt the sales of seasonal goods. But it went better the next month and sales were up by 6.5 percent. The week of April may not neccesarily mean prolonged weakness. Its just a rough little time. But the month of April has hurt many companies due to its weather. It has brought the sales down. But the weak April sales may not necessarily be a sign that consumer spending is weakening, analysts said, citing the Easter calendar issue. May sales could give a better indication of the state of the consumer.



Import Prices Rise More Than Expected
Prices for imported petroleum climbed 6.5 percent in April after an 8.1 percent rise in March. The department said that despite the strong rises in March and April, imported petroleum prices have fallen 1.8 percent over the past year to April. Export prices rose a slight 0.3 percent in April, half the revised 0.6 percent gain posted in March that was originally reported as a larger 0.7 percent increase. The department said prices were higher for fuels and chemicals and for iron and steel products. All these rise of prices are due to the economic problems that the US is having. If the gas prices go up then so does everything else. All the prices go up due to the oil companies and the exporting and importing goods.