Wal-Mart May Ring Up Rare Win

SAN FRANCISCO -- The long and heated rivalry between Wal-Mart (WMT Quote) and Target (TGT Quote) is starting to get interesting.

For years, Target has been the trendy superstar, blowing past its larger, lumbering rival in both sales growth and profits. But holiday sales reports from each chain -- due Thursday -- could finally show Wal-Mart outpacing its chief competitor.

Target has already lowered its forecast for December same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year. The retailer said on Christmas Eve that it expects same-store sales to range from down 1% to up 1%, well below its initial projection for a 3% to 5% rise. ...