Retailers appear to expect increased back-to-school spending based on goods import data. Imports of kids clothing and footwear arrived later than usual. June imports were 13% lower than a year earlier, but just 1% lower in July, possibly reflecting a “ship later” strategy from retailers. Imports of laptops meanwhile may have jumped by 23% in July, and shipments of backpacks (as a proxy for other school spending) climbed 25%. Weighting the three according to Deloitte’s latest spending survey shows back-to-school imports may have risen 10% in July, or 4% for the three months to July 31, on...