Amazon may not yet generate more revenue than Wal-Mart but when it comes to market value, it is now the leader. Amazon's stock price just passed $550 per share for a total market value of $250 billion; outpacing Wal-Mart at $239 billion.
What does that tell us? That Wall Street sees a much brighter future in ecommerce than it does in bricks and mortar retailing and is betting that way.
It doesn't mean that Wal-Mart is in decline, after all Wal-Mart would be the world's 28th biggest nation if its revenue was converted to GDP. Still with Amazon growing at a rapid pace and new players like Jet.com (think of it as Costco meets Amazon) already making huge waves, it looks like the retail world may just be turning upside down.