BUSINESS MEMO: U.S. SHOPPING SPREE

NEW YORK -- Americans continued their shopping spree in June, giving the nation's retailers their sixth straight month of gains.

The Merrill Lynch retail index, the investment firm's barometer of sales performance at department stores and discount chains, rose 3.9 percent last month after a 6.6 percent increase in May.

Those that fared best included Wal-Mart -- sales from stores open at least a year rose 9 percent from a year earlier, while total sales were up 17.4 percent -- and the Gap, where same-store sales climbed 15 percent, and total sales were up 36 percent.

But several big chains, including Sears, Kmart and JCPenney, were hurt by cool, rainy weather and sagging demand for athletic shoes and sportswear.