NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart reported disappointing fourth-quarter profits and sales after a sluggish and shortened holiday shopping season. Violent social protests in Chile cut into international sales.Walmart also delivered a weak profit forecast for the year Tuesday, and shares slipped about 1% before the opening bell. It’s a rare miss for Walmart, which has distanced itself from rivals through strong online grocery sales while holding its own against Amazon.com. Walmart is the first major retailer to report fiscal fourth-quarter results, and the numbers underscore a multitude of challenges that retailers faced this holiday season. It was the shortest holiday shopping season since 2013, leaving retailers the figure out how to get people thinking about the holidays sooner.
