Consumer Cos Down on Online Competition Fears -- Consumer Roundup

Shares of retailers and other consumer-services companies ticked down as traders bet the sector would continue to lose traction in a battle with online competitors. Wal-Mart is among the stores that have a strategy to push back against Amazon.com and others. One brokerage said there is little reason for concern for Wal-Mart investors, as yet. "In our view, investors remain highly concerned around the competitive environment and the looming threat of e-commerce, but we see reason for cautious optimism with our checks suggesting Wal-Mart Stores' price investments did not widen in the quarter, and emerging competition more likely to play out over a long-term versus near-term period," said analysts at brokerage Wells Fargo Securities. Senators grilled airline executives about customer service protocols after the United Continental scandal.

-Rob Curran, rob.curran@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 04, 2017 16:48 ET (20:48 GMT)