NEW YORK, N.Y. - Indexes are slightly higher at midday on Wall Street, pushing the stock market further into record territory. Cisco Systems soared 13 per cent, the most in the Dow Jones industrial average, after the network equipment maker reported results that beat the estimates of financial analysts who follow the company. Wal-Mart fell after the giant retailer blamed higher payroll taxes, bad weather and delayed tax refunds for a sales slump that disappointed investors. The Dow was up 15 points at 15,290 at midday Thursday, an increase of 0.1 per cent.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - The first few months of the year were tough for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. The world's largest retailer reported Thursday that its first-quarter profit edged up just slightly, and the company struggled with a sales slump in its namesake business during the three-month period. The discounter also offered a quarterly profit outlook that came below Wall Street's projections. Its stock fell on the news.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - The National Retail Federation, the nation's largest retail trade group, is slamming a global pact to improve safety conditions in Bangladesh, backed by mostly European retailers. At the same time the association is offering few details to an alternative plan it's pushing that it believes is more flexible.

WASHINGTON - Foreign demand for U.S. Treasury securities rose to a record level in March even though China, the largest foreign holder of Treasury debt, reduced its holdings slightly. The overall increase indicated that foreign investors remain confident in holding U.S. debt. The Treasury Department says total foreign holdings of Treasury securities increased 0.7 per cent in March compared with February to a record $5.76 trillion. That is an increase of 11.9 per cent over a year ago.