Retailers Tally a Mixed October as Sales Rose 1.6%

Retailers hoping for clear predictions of how strong the holiday shopping season would be did not get it from their October sales results, where a mix of performances gave some retailers increased confidence and others increased caution.

Along with questions over how the elections would affect consumer spending, it added to uncertainty over whether people would increase their shopping this holiday season.

At the 28 stores tracked by Thomson Reuters, an index that excludes the nation’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart, there was a 1.6 percent increase in sales at stores open at least a year. That met analysts’ expectations, and marked the 14th month of increased sales, but the increase was the lowest since April.