EMC’s Business Finance blog

Sears Holdings Corp., the largest U.S. department-store chain, reported an unexpected quarterly loss, while Costco Wholesale Corp. posted profit that rose more than analysts estimated as customers sought cheaper food and gasoline.

Sears’s first-quarter loss was $56 million, the Hoffman Estates, Illinois-based retailer said today in a statement, as sales declined 5.8 percent. Costco, the biggest U.S. warehouse club, said third-quarter net income increased 32 percent.