Buffeted by hurricanes and waning consumer sentiment, many U.S. retailers reported a drop in September sales. On a bright note, Wal-Mart’s U.S. stores posted a 2.4% gain in same-store sales, the figure, just a bit below analysts’ expectations of a 2.5% gain. According to Wal-Mart, sales of discretionary items were “soft.” The retailer added that the spat of hurricanes in the U.S. resulted in temporary closures at 341 of its stores, which cut 0.4% from the results for the ...