Market Outlook This Week: Retail Earnings, Fed Talks, and Key Housing Data in Focus

Market Outlook This Week: Retail Earnings, Fed Talks, and Key Housing Data in Focus

Key Takeaways

• Major retailers including Home Depot, Lowe’s, Target, and TJX will report quarterly earnings this week.

• Federal Reserve officials are set to speak amid growing calls for rate adjustments.

• Important U.S. housing market data — including new and existing home sales — will be released alongside PMI readings and jobless claims.

The week ahead will spotlight a range of corporate earnings, particularly from big-box retailers, alongside critical housing and economic data. Investors will also be closely monitoring public remarks from Federal Reserve officials as market sentiment adjusts to interest rate expectations.

Retailers Take the Stage

Earnings season continues with a strong lineup of consumer and tech names. Among those reporting this week:

• Home Depot (HD)

• Lowe’s (LOW)

• Target (TGT)

• TJX Companies (TJX)

• Ross Stores (ROST)

• Ralph Lauren (RL)

• Palo Alto Networks (PANW)

• Snowflake (SNOW)

• Intuit (INTU)

• Ryanair (RYAAY)

These reports are expected to offer insight into consumer spending, inflation pressures, and supply chain dynamics.

Fed Officials in the Spotlight

A number of Federal Reserve policymakers will make public appearances this week, potentially offering fresh clues on interest rate outlooks. Notable speakers include:

• Vice Chair Philip Jefferson

• Gov. Michelle Bowman

• New York Fed President John Williams

• Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic

• San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly

• Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack

• Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan

• Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin

• St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem

With pressure mounting from President Trump for rate cuts, market watchers will be parsing every comment for hints on policy direction.

Weekly Economic Calendar

Monday, May 19

• U.S. Leading Economic Indicators (April)

• Fed speakers: Jefferson, Bostic, Logan, Williams

• Earnings: Trip.com (TCOM), Ryanair

• Computex Taipei tech conference continues

Tuesday, May 20

• Fed speakers: Bostic, Daly, Hammack, Musalem

• Earnings: Home Depot, Palo Alto Networks, Keysight Technologies (KEYS), Viking Holdings (VIK), Toll Brothers (TOL)

Wednesday, May 21

• Fed speakers: Bowman, Barkin

• Earnings: TJX, Lowe’s, Medtronic (MDT), Snowflake, Target, Baidu (BIDU), Zoom (ZM), XPeng (XPEV)

Thursday, May 22

• Initial Jobless Claims (Week ending May 17)

• S&P Global U.S. Flash PMI (May)

• Existing Home Sales (April)

• Fed speaker: John Williams

• Earnings: Intuit, TD Bank, Analog Devices (ADI), Workday (WDAY), Autodesk (ADSK), Copart (CPRT), Ross Stores, Ralph Lauren

Friday, May 23

• New Home Sales (April)

• Earnings: Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH)