US shoppers still cautious

Consumers continued to shop cautiously in March amid high unemployment and continued home foreclosures, but there were some glimmers of stabilization in retailer's sales reports yesterday.

The later Easter hurt some chains' results - notably Wal-Mart Stores Inc - but Easter is expected to boost sales for many in April.

Retailers have been slashing costs and cutting inventory in an effort to improve results amid weak consumer spending. Consumer spending is closely watched by economists and analysts because it accounts for 70 percent of all US economic activity.