Redbook US same-store sales rose by 9% from a year earlier in the week ended May 23 after an 8.1% year-over-year increase in the previous week.
"Demand for a wide variety of summer, home and garden, and seasonal apparel products was the main focus for most consumers," Redbook said.
Through the third selling week for May, sales were 8.9% higher compared with May 2025, more than the target for an 8.6% gain, according to Redbook.
Ambassadors from European Union member states have approved legislation to impose the 27-nation bloc's commitments in a trade deal with the US, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing a source with knowledge of their meeting.The legislation includes measures to cut import duties on certain industrial goods from the US and an acknowledgment of a 15% tariff on EU exports to the world's biggest economy.The European Parliament and the European Council last week agreed on the texts of the trade deal, which was agreed with the US during the third quarter of 2025. The legislation will be put to a vote at the Parliament's trade committee on June 2 before heading to a full assembly vote in the middle of next month.The European Commission and European Parliament did not immediately respond to requests for comment from.(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)
Major European bourses were tracking higher around mid-session Wednesday, fueled by the region's advancing chemical and automobile stocks, along with Wall Street's technology rally.Investors also eyed US futures advancing premarket, while Asian markets were mixed at Wednesday's close.In regional news, France's household confidence indicator dropped to 82 points in May 2026, marking its lowest overall level since March 2023, according to data from national statistics agency Insee.Data from UBS & CFA Society Switzerland showed that the country's economic sentiment index increased to -11.1 points in May from -30.3 points in April. Meanwhile, Italy's industrial turnover rose 2% month over month in March, after a revised 0.5% uptick previously, according to statistics agency Istat.The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 Index was 0.5% higher mid-session.The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index and Stoxx 600 Banks Index were up 0.6%, and the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index rose by 1.2%.Meanwhile, the Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index was 2.3% lower and the Stoxx Europe 600 Insurance Index was down 0.2%.The REITE, a European REIT index, was marginally declining.On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was up 0.5%, and the FTSE 100 in London was 0.2% higher. The CAC 40 in Paris rose by 0.8%, and Spain's IBEX 35 advanced by 0.5%.Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were down 0.5% to about 3%.Front-month North Sea Brent crude oil futures fell 2.8% to $94.01.The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was 1.7% lower to 19.62. A reading above 20 indicates choppier markets ahead, while below 20 suggests calmer exchanges.