Investopedia Markets News (all except PF)

Target shares have surged over 50% since the start of the year.
Credit: Kevin Carter / Getty Images

Key Takeaways

• Target is set to report earnings Wednesday morning, with traders expecting the stock could swing up to 7% by the end of the week.
• Sales and profits are projected to have grown in the second quarter, as new CEO Michael Fiddelke works to turn around the business.

Target is due to report earnings Wednesday morning, with the retailer’s stock seen potentially extending its recent rally following the results.

Current options pricing suggests traders expect Target (TGT) shares could swing up to 7% in either direction by the end of the week. A move of that size from Monday’s close could see the stock rise as high as $161, or slip back to $141, giving up some of this year’s gains.

Target shares have surged over 50% since the year began, as investors bought into Target’s turnaround plan under new CEO Michael Fiddelke, who took over the top job at the retailer in February.

Why This Matters to Investors

Wednesday’s results will provide investors with the latest update on Target’s turnaround effort.

Ahead of the results, UBS analysts lifted their price target for the stock to $166 from $144, writing they expect Target’s second-quarter results to “provide the next important proof point that the recovery is becoming more durable.” Oppenheimer analysts also recently lifted their target to $170 from $140, telling clients they’ve been “encouraged by the consistent and better in-store execution across geographies and a clear step-up in newness throughout the store.”

Target is expected to report second-quarter revenue of $26.15 billion, up about 4% year-over-year, along with earnings of $2.31 per share, up from $2.05 the same time a year ago. Comparable store sales growth is seen coming in around 2.6%, which would mark a second straight quarter of gains after the metric fell in all four quarters of 2025.

Still, analysts have hesitated to recommend buying the stock. Of the 10 analysts tracked by Visible Alpha, just three have “buy” ratings, compared to six neutral ratings, and one “sell” recommendation. The stock has already overtaken their mean target of $145 with its recent gains.

A new bill from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) would prevent Social Security garnishments for defaulted student loan borrowers.
Credit: Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• A new Senate bill aims to stop Social Security garnishments for defaulted student loans.
• Nearly 10 million borrowers are in default, with older borrowers often heavily reliant on Social Security benefits.

A new Senate bill would block the government from withholding parts of Social Security checks from defaulted student loan borrowers.

As of March 31, almost 9.6 million borrowers were in default, meaning they had missed payments for more than 270 days, according to Education Department data. Once a borrower enters default, the Treasury Department can garnish up to 15% of their wages or federal benefits, such as Social Security payments.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and cosponsored by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), would stop the garnishment of Social Security benefits for defaulted federal student loan borrowers.

Why This Matters

Older Americans are struggling to afford rising living and medical costs. Resuming garnishments would squeeze beneficiaries further, forcing many who live on fixed incomes to cut spending elsewhere.

According to an Investopedia analysis of the Federal Reserve’s 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances, about 30% of households headed by someone 65 or older have no retirement savings or pensions, and 14% have few financial assets and are largely dependent on Social Security or their wages.

Older student loan borrowers are especially reliant on their Social Security benefits. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 37% of beneficiaries with student loans depend on their benefits for at least 90% of their income, and half of Social Security beneficiaries with defaulted student loans skipped a doctor’s appointment or went without prescription medicine because of the cost.

During the pandemic, the Education Department paused federal student loan payments and suspended wage garnishments. The department says it intends to resume garnishments, but it’s unclear when that will happen.

In December 2025, the Education Department confirmed to Investopedia that it was pausing Social Security garnishments for defaulted student loans. In January, the department said it would delay garnishments until it implements the repayment changes required by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), the tax-and-spending law signed last year.

In March, the department said it was shifting responsibility for the federal loan portfolio to the Treasury Department, which said it would resume garnishments permanently once the OBBBA’s repayment provisions took effect.

The Education Department hasn’t confirmed whether garnishments have resumed or given a date for when they will start. Asked directly, the department pointed Investopedia to a January press release announcing it would delay garnishments until it carried out changes to student loan repayment schedules under OBBBA.

European stocks are seeing some of their strongest inflows in the past decade, according to Goldman Sachs.
Credit: Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto / Getty Images

Key Takeaways

• Goldman Sachs analysts recently raised their 12-month target for the European benchmark STOXX 600 index to 695 from 660.
• Foreign inflows have helped drive the strongest inflows into European equities in a decade, not counting 2021, the bank wrote.

Goldman Sachs has great expectations for European stocks. 

The bank’s analysts lifted their 12-month target for the European benchmark STOXX 600 index to 695 from 660, about 6% higher than Monday’s close of 656.41. They also raised their 2026 earnings growth forecast to 15% from 10% in a pair of recent notes to clients, calling the continent a “secret outperformer.”  

Much of Europe’s recent strength has been driven by the financial sector. Total returns for European bank stocks have outperformed the Magnificent 7 since 2022, the bank noted, though the STOXX 600’s 11% rise this year trails the S&P 500’s 13%.

Credit: Goldman Sachs

Foreign inflows have helped drive the strongest inflows into European equities in a decade (not counting 2021), the bank wrote, though “performance has been far more mixed than the market-narrative or most investors realise.” 

“Higher U.S. starting valuations, the benefit of higher rates for European banks, and a shift in demand for infrastructure have benefited Europe’s HALO stocks and other value-oriented, asset-heavy sectors. Moreover, we have seen a marked improvement in European ROE, which is second only to the U.S.,” the bank wrote. (The “HALO” stands for “heavy assets, low obsolescence,” and describes infrastructure-heavy businesses perceived as AI-proof.)

“With the returns and funding cost of AI being increasingly questioned, Europe’s status as a market generating cash rather than spending it could be to its advantage, as we have seen this year.” 

Home Depot and Lowe’s are due to report earnings this week
Credit: Yuki Iwamura / Bloomberg / Getty Images, PATRICK T. FALLON / Contributor / Getty Images

Key Takeaways

• Home Depot and Lowe’s are set to report earnings this week, with traders anticipating sizable moves in the stocks.
• Both companies are expected to report growing sales, with business from professional contractors seen outpacing DIY spending.

Home Depot and Lowe’s are set to report earnings on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, respectively, with traders anticipating sizable moves from the home-improvement retailers’ stocks.

Recent options pricing suggests traders see Home Depot (HD) shares swinging up to 4% in either direction by the end of the week. A move of that size from Monday afternoon’s level around $337 could see the stock rally as high as $350, recovering some of its recent losses, or slip to $324. Lowe’s (LOW) stock is seen moving up to 5%, which could drive it as high as $225, or drag it below $205.

Heading into the results, Home Depot shares are down about 2% for the year so far, while Lowe’s has plunged 11%, amid some concerns that squeezed consumers could continue to put off big-ticket spending on renovations and appliances. Home Depot was also pressured last week after the company announced CEO Ted Decker is taking a temporary medical leave of absence. Senior executive vice president Ann-Marie Campbell and CFO Richard McPhail are jointly assuming the CEO’s duties until Decker returns.

Why This Matters to Investors

Results from Home Depot and Lowe’s could offer investors more insights into the state of the housing market, and how willing consumers are to take on big spending projects.

Bank of America analysts recently wrote that they expect spending growth from professional contractors to outpace do-it-yourself home improvement projects, which they said could favor Home Depot, as it relies more on pro sales than Lowe’s. The analysts also said both retailers are likely to have gotten a boost from tariff refunds, which could offset higher supply-chain costs.

Analysts expect Home Depot to report adjusted earnings of $4.73 per share on a 4% year-over-year rise in revenue to $47.28 billion. Lowe’s is seen reporting adjusted EPS of $4.23 on a 9% jump in revenue to $26.09 billion. Both retailers are projected to report same-store sales growth of just under 1% for the quarter, according to estimates compiled by Visible Alpha.

Analysts are largely bullish on the stocks of both companies. Nine out of 10 analysts tracked by Visible Alpha have “buy” recommendations for Home Depot, while 10 out of 11 have bullish ratings for Lowe’s. The mean target for Home Depot at $391 would suggest roughly 16% upside from the stock’s recent level, while the $272 average target for Lowe’s would imply a 27% rise.

Ships are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz on August 10, 2026.
Credit: Ali Saeedi / Getty Images

Key Takeaways

• The significant economic impact of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has highlighted risks to global trade through other shipping chokepoints.
• There are around 30 similar waterways across the globe where commercial vessels could easily be blocked from traveling.
• Straits in the Pacific are especially vulnerable in the event of a conflict between China and Taiwan, and any disruption to shipping in that region could have global implications.

The U.S. economic outlook lately seems to revolve around the Strait of Hormuz, and other waterways around the world could be equally important in the future.

The restriction of shipping through the strait due to the Iran war has all but shut down traffic through a waterway that normally carried 20% of the world’s crude oil supplies. The blockage has caused fuel prices to spike in the U.S. and elsewhere, and economic metrics to swing up and down, along with the perceived chances that the Strait of Hormuz could reopen.

In the years to come, other crucial waterways could similarly become household names and sway the fate of economies, according to an analysis by researchers at Oxford Economics. They estimated the risks to more than two dozen places similar to the Strait of Hormuz that are crucial to trade.

“The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has cost the global economy dearly,” wrote Harry Murphy Cruise, head of economic research and global trade at Oxford. “But Hormuz is one of around 30 maritime chokepoints that control global trade. Each chokepoint carries its own risk and potential flashpoints.”

What This Means For The Economy

Disruptions to other important shipping routes beyond Hormuz could compound the economic shocks currently being caused by the war in Iran.

Other vulnerable locations include the Suez Canal in Egypt (which disrupted global shipping in 2021 when a cargo ship ran aground and blocked the canal for six days); the Panama Canal (which is currently restricting traffic due to low water levels); and the straits of Malacca and Taiwan in the South China Sea. On the borders of Europe, the straits of Bosporus and Gibraltar control access to the Black and Mediterranean seas.

Some of the waterways are at greater risk than others. Multiple straits in the Pacific are especially noteworthy because they could all be at risk simultaneously if conflict flares up between China and one of its neighbors, such as Taiwan. The effects of such a disruption would ripple around the world.

“Nearly all of Taiwan’s energy arrives by sea, so a disruption that prevented ships from reaching Taiwanese ports would halt the economy – and with it, production of the advanced semiconductors central to the global AI investment cycle,” Cruise wrote.

With the current crisis in Hormuz demonstrating the seismic effects of closing a key waterway, such trade chokepoints may figure more prominently into the plans of companies and governments in the future as they make decisions about trade and supply chains.

“Much of the global flow of goods runs through a small number of maritime straits and international canals,” wrote the Council on Foreign Relations in July. “The same market efficiency that creates those concentrations means the supply chains routed through them commonly lack alternatives to mitigate the impact of disruption.”

The Google Parent Is Now Berkshire’s 3rd Biggest Stock Holding

Berkshire Hathaway first acquired a small stake in Google parent Alphabet in the third quarter of 2025.
Credit: Getty Images

Key Takeaways

• Berkshire Hathaway increased its stake in Alphabet by 83% in the second quarter, making the Google parent its third-largest equity holding.
• The company ended a 14-quarter stretch as a net stock seller, buying nearly $20 billion more equities than it sold.
• Berkshire cut its Bank of America stake for the fifth straight quarter and reduced Capital One by 58%.

Warren Buffett may have stepped down as CEO in January, but Berkshire Hathaway has dramatically increased its bet on a stock that he began.

Berkshire (BRK.A, BRK.B) grew its stake in Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), Google’s parent company, by 83% in the second quarter, according to a 13F portfolio disclosure filed after the close Friday. The position—roughly 106 million shares worth about $37 billion—became Berkshire’s third-largest stock holding, behind only Apple (AAPL) and American Express (AXP).

“I initiated it,” Buffett, now chairman, told CNBC last month when asked whose idea the Alphabet purchases were. He added that new CEO Greg Abel has the last word. “We talk all the time, but he is the decider.”

Why This Matters To You

Berkshire’s stock picks are among the most closely watched on Wall Street, and millions of Americans own a piece of the company—directly or through index funds, since Berkshire is one of the largest companies in the S&P 500.

Much of the increase in Alphabet shares came from a $10 billion direct purchase, part of an $85 billion equity raise Alphabet completed in June to fund its AI infrastructure buildout. Berkshire’s stake is growing fast. It held about 18 million Alphabet shares when the position first surfaced in the third quarter of 2025. By June 30, it held nearly six times that.

The Alphabet purchases are part of a broader turn. Berkshire bought $23.5 billion of stock during the quarter and sold $3.7 billion, making it a net buyer of equities for the first time in 14 quarters.

Apple remains Berkshire’s top holding at about $70 billion, with American Express next at about $52 billion, based on share prices at the end of last week. (Berkshire’s positions may have shifted since the end of the second quarter, but those details won’t be known until November.) Coca-Cola (KO) ranked fourth and Bank of America (BAC) fifth—after Berkshire cut its stake in the bank by another 5% in the second quarter, extending a sell-down that began in mid-2024.

Other trims were clustered in financials, led by a 58% cut to Capital One (COF) and a 7% reduction in Ally Financial (ALLY). It also pared back its stakes in DaVita (DVA), Kroger (KR) and Nucor (NUE).

Berkshire sold the last of its shares in Constellation Brands (STZ), ending a year-and-a-half investment in the beer and wine maker. Berkshire doesn’t explain its trades, but the seller of Modelo and Corona had cut its fiscal 2026 outlook last September amid tariffs on imported beer and a pullback by Hispanic consumers.

The company’s one new position is tiny: $580,000 in shares of homebuilder D.R. Horton (DHI). It’s a re-entry—Berkshire bought and exited the stock last year. Housing has been a theme of recent buys. Berkshire added to its position in rival builder Lennar (LEN), and in July it agreed to buy homebuilder Taylor Morrison for about $6.8 billion.

It also added to stakes it opened in the first quarter in Delta Air Lines (DAL) and Macy’s (M)—among the first with Abel as CEO.

Friday’s filing only covers U.S.-listed securities. It excludes Berkshire’s stakes in five Japanese trading houses, which were worth more than $35 billion at the end of 2025.

The company’s stock purchases put a dent in its mammoth cash pile. Berkshire also repurchased $4.5 billion of its own shares during the third quarter, its biggest buyback since 2021, and about $3.3 billion more in July. The company held $365.5 billion at the end of June, down 8% from three months earlier.

Sandisk is among several memory stocks rising Monday.
Credit: Omar Marques / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Memory stocks surged to start the week, with Sandisk recently up 9%.
• Rising demand for AI hardware has driven record sales and profits for chipmakers in recent quarters.

The AI trade is starting the week off strong.

Several hardware makers are among the market’s top gainers Monday. Shares of Sandisk (SNDK) were recently up 9%, while data storage rivals Western Digital (WDC), Micron Technology (MU), and Seagate Technology (STX) gained roughly 6%, 6%, and 2%, respectively. All are components of the Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM), which advanced nearly 8%.

“Memory has historically been viewed as the most cyclical segment of semis,” Bank of America analysts wrote last week. But “the industry may be entering a more durable phase,” they wrote, with some companies also poised to reward investors with stepped-up buybacks.

Among chipmakers in the green, Marvell Technology (MRVL) and Intel (INTC) were up respective 7% and 2%, respectively, helping the broader iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) rise nearly 2.5%. The Nasdaq Composite was clinging to slim gains in recent trading, while the Dow and S&P 500 were edging lower.

While investors have been concerned about the possibility of an AI bubble, many are still betting on chip stocks, with high demand for their hardware boosting sales and profits to record highs in recent quarters.

Harvard holds a roughly $2.2 billion stake in SpaceX, according to a filing.
Credit: Pat Greenhouse / The Boston Globe via Getty Images

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Harvard Management Co. holds a multibillion-dollar stake in SpaceX, the university endowment’s largest stock holding.
• SpaceX shares have fluctuated between about $105 and near $150 in August.

Harvard Management Co., the firm that manages the university’s massive endowment, has a new largest stock holding.

The company updated its holdings in its latest quarterly filing released after markets closed Friday. The new addition: SpaceX (SPCX), in which Harvard holds a stake of just under 13 million shares, valued at over $2.2 billion at the time of the filing.

The rocket, AI, and connectivity company, which went public in June, received investments from a number of universities over its years as a private company, according to Bloomberg, with Harvard and others reporting the sizes of their stakes now that the company is public.

SpaceX shares, which have gained 33% from the record low they hit two weeks ago, were up more than 2% in early trading Monday. The stock rose about 5% last week, finishing at $140, above their IPO price but below the $150 at which they first started trading. (Read Investopedia’s full coverage of today’s trading here.)

August’s action in SpaceX has reflected continued drama in the company’s shares: It’s both fallen below $105, a low, and neared $150, this month.

News of the day for Aug. 17, 2026

Stocks ended lower on Friday, but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq still posted gains for the week.
Credit: Michael Nagle / Bloomberg / Getty Images

Stock futures are pointing to a mixed open to kick off a busy week of retail earnings reports; investors will get quarterly results from Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s and others this week; AI-related memory and chip stocks are on the rise this morning; the dollar is trading at its lowest point since early June as investors increasingly bet against a Fed rate hike; and Harvard disclosed a $2.2 billion stake in SpaceX. Here’s what you need to know today.

Stock Futures Are Mixed After Another Week of Gains

Stock futures are mixed this morning, with the Nasdaq poised to open higher as AI stocks rise. Futures tied to the tech-heavy Nasdaq were up 0.4% recently, while S&P 500 futures added 0.1% and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipped 0.2%. The major indexes each fell on Friday, though the Nasdaq and S&P 500 managed to post weekly gains for the third week in a row. WTI crude oil futures were holding steady at $82.40 per barrel as the U.S. and Iran appear poised to blow through the 60-day deadline of Monday to reach a deal to end the war. Gold futures rose 0.5% to $4,450 an ounce, while bitcoin was trading around $63,600, up from lows around $62,500 on Friday. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note ticked lower to 4.69%.

On Deck This Week: Retail Earnings, Fed Minutes

Investors are set to get a raft of updates on the health of the American consumer this week, with earnings reports coming from several of the country’s biggest retailers. Home Depot (HD) and Lowe’s (LOW) are scheduled to report on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, respectively. Target (TGT) and TJX Companies (TJX) also report Wednesday, as do cruise operator Viking (VIK) and cosmetics giant Estee Lauder (EL). Thursday will bring results from Walmart (WMT), the nation’s largest retailer, along with farm equipment maker Deere (DE), Ross Stores (ROST) and Advance Auto Parts (AAP). On Wednesday afternoon, the minutes of last month’s Federal Reserve meeting on interest rates are set to be published, potentially providing investors with insights into how members of the central bank’s policy committee board see the outlook for the economy and future rate decisions.

Memory, Chip Stocks Leading Premarket Gainers

The AI trade looks poised for a hot start to the week as several hardware makers are among the market’s top gainers ahead of the opening bell. Shares of Sandisk (SNDK) were up 4%, while data storage rivals Seagate Technology (STX) and Western Digital (WDC) each gained roughly 3%. Other chipmakers including Micron (MU), Marvell (MRVL), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Intel (INTC) are all in the green this morning. While investors have been concerned about the possibility of an AI bubble, many are still betting on chip stocks, with high demand for their hardware boosting sales and profits to record highs in recent quarters.

Dollar at Lowest Levels Since Early June as Rate Hike Fears Fade

The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the value of the greenback against a basket of foreign currencies, is trading at its lowest point since early June as concerns that the Federal Reserve will need to raise interest rates have eased. Reports last week on consumer and producer prices showed that inflation has cooled, which could take pressure off the Fed to possibly hike its benchmark rate at next month’s policy meeting. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh has said repeatedly that the central bank’s top priority is bringing inflation down to the 2% annual target. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool, which tracks odds of how investors see rates moving based on futures pricing, puts a 31% chance on a rate hike at next month’s meeting, down from a more than 50% chance a week and a month ago. The dollar index was down 0.2% at 99.45 recently.

Harvard Has a New Biggest Stock Holding: SpaceX

Harvard Management Company, the firm that manages the university’s massive endowment, reported a new largest stock holding in its latest quarterly filing released after markets closed Friday. The new addition to the filing is SpaceX (SPCX), of which Harvard holds a stake of just under 13 million shares, valued at over $2.2 billion at the time of the filing. The rocket, AI and connectivity company that went public in June received investments from a number of universities over its years as a private company, according to Bloomberg, with Harvard and others reporting the sizes of their stakes now that the company is public. SpaceX shares, which have gained 33% from the record low they hit two weeks ago, were little changed at $140 ahead of the opening bell.

Target is one of several large retailers slated to report this week.
Credit: Kevin Van Paassen / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Now that inflation has cooled a bit, are shoppers still clipping coupons and leaving gas stations with half-filled tanks? 

Investors will get a read on how Americans are spending when major retailers—including Walmart, Target and Home Depot—hand in quarterly results this week. Consumer sentiment declined over the last month despite inflation dipping for a second month in a row, according to the University of Michigan’s surveys of consumers. Hiring has stagnated, wages aren’t keeping up with the cost of living, and some worry inflation will accelerate as the war drags on and tariffs rise. 

Walmart earlier this year said customers appear to be “navigating financial distress” based on changes in gas-buying behavior this spring. The chain reduced prices in response. Investors will look for indications that the strategy is working when Walmart hands in its numbers on Thursday.

Other retailers are cutting prices to try to win over, and keep, inflation-weary customers. Target, which reports Wednesday, saw sales climb last quarter. But CFO Jim Lee said consumers’ downbeat mood could temper its growth. Consumer spending has been slowing, according to Census data: Retail sales fell 0.6% from June to July, down from a 0.2% bump in June and a roughly 1% increase in May.

Investors should also get a feel for where people are focusing their spending, with companies specializing in everything from tractors to tennis shoes due to report. Quarterly results are expected from Home Depot, Lowe’s, John Deere & Co. and Amer Sports, the parent company of Arc’teryx and Salomon.

Market Recap

All three major U.S. indexes ended last week higher after tumbling at the beginning of the week. Shares began to reverse course on Wednesday, when federal data showed inflation decelerated in July, a signal that the Fed may be less likely to raise interest rates than thought. Strong results from CoreWeave and Super Micro Computer helped lift AI and tech-related stocks. The results came even after a quietly downbeat Friday session; for our recap of the end-of-week trading, click here.

This Week’s Top Events

Here’s a look at major events happening this week. TradingView publishes a more detailed calendar, but clicking the link will take you off the Investopedia site.

• Tuesday, Aug. 18: Amer Sports (AS) is slated to release its second-quarter results before the opening bell, and host a webcast at 8 a.m. ET. The company beat expectations last quarter and raised its forecast.
• Tuesday: Home Depot (HD) is set to host a conference call on its second-quarter results at 9 a.m. ET, with the figures expected before then. The retailer had strong top and bottom line figures last quarter, but slower-than-expected same-store sales growth. Americans have been putting off major home improvement projects for years, and in response, home improvement stores are trying to bolster business with professional contractors. Investors are slated to get results from another industry giant, Lowe’s (LOW), on Wednesday.
• Wednesday, Aug. 19: Target (TGT) is scheduled to host a conference call on its second-quarter results at 8 a.m. ET, with the numbers expected before then. The retailer topped estimates last quarter, with same-store sales growing for the first time in more than a year. New CEO Michael Fiddelke said the chain’s turnaround campaign is “resonating” with customers.
• Wednesday: Estée Lauder Cos. (EL) plans to publish its fiscal fourth-quarter results and host a conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET. Shares of the cosmetic company surged in May when Estée Lauder announced it was abandoning plans to buy Puig, another makeup company. Coty (COTY), parent company of CoverGirl and Sally Hansen, is also scheduled to report this week.
• Wednesday: Minutes from the July Federal Open Markets Committee meeting are due at 2 p.m. ET. Investors will look for insight on how monetary policymakers are talking about using interest rates to temper inflation, which has been above the 2% target for years. The Fed held rates steady at the meeting, with three members dissenting.
• Wednesday: TJX Cos. (TJX) plans to release second-quarter results before the opening bell, followed by a conference call at 11 a.m. ET. The parent company of TJ Maxx and Marshalls handed in better-than-expected numbers last quarter and raised its guidance. Ross Stores (ROST), another off-price retailer, is slated to report Thursday.
• Thursday, Aug. 20: Walmart (WMT) is scheduled to release its second-quarter results at 7 a.m. ET, followed by a conference call at 8 a.m. ET. Walmart’s earnings were in line with expectations last quarter, and its revenue came in above estimates.
• Thursday: Deere & Co. (DE) is slated to host a conference call on its fiscal third-quarter results at 10 a.m. ET, with the results expected before then. Investors sold shares of the farming and construction equipment company after its second-quarter results, but Deere has generally had a good 2026, thanks to demand from firms constructing AI data centers.
• Friday, Aug. 21: BJ’s Wholesale Club (BJ) is set to release its second-quarter results before the stock market opens, and host a conference call at 8 a.m. ET. The warehouse club operator mostly beat expectations last quarter.

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