What To Expect in the Markets This Week

Friday, Nov. 15

• Import/export price index (October)

• U.S. retail sales (October)

• Empire State Manufacturing Survey (November)

• Industrial production/capacity utilization (October)

• Business inventories (September)

• Alibaba (BABA) and Spectrum Brands (SPB) report earnings

The week begins with the Veterans Day holiday on Monday, a federal holiday where bond markets will be closed, but major stock markets will remain open.

After last week’s Federal Reserve decision to cut interest rates, investors will have the opportunity to get more perspective on the economy as several Fed officials will deliver remarks throughout the week.

Headlining the list is Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who on Thursday will give remarks about the economy in an event at the Dallas Regional Chamber. Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari and St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem are also likely to make comments about the economy at events this week, while Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan, Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid, and Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker are also slated to speak.

Market watchers will get another key inflation measurement this week with the Wednesday release of October CPI. Following a September report where the inflation rate was unexpectedly high at 2.4%, the latest print of the economic indicator will show whether price pressures continued to move closer to the Fed’s target of 2%. The following day, the Producer Price Index (PPI) will show how inflation is impacting wholesalers.

Economists will be watching the Friday release of October U.S. retail sales to see if consumers continue to perform above expectations. Retail sales in September increased by 0.4%, with economists pointing to the growth as evidence that third-quarter U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) could come in stronger than previous forecasts.

Several noteworthy retailers, drugmakers, and tech firms are on the corporate earnings calendar this week.

Home improvement retailer Home Depot will report its third-quarter earnings on Tuesday, coming after it projected a larger full-year decrease in comparable store sales on weakening consumer trends.

British drugmaker AstraZeneca will also deliver its financials on Tuesday as the company continues to work to develop a breast cancer treatment after its most recent trials produced disappointing results.

Network infrastructure manufacturer Cisco will report its 2025 fiscal first-quarter results on Wednesday, the first since it announced a 7% cut in its workforce along with earnings that showed declines in both revenue and earnings.

On Thursday, Walt Disney will look to build on the profit it reported for its streaming service after it posted better-than-expected results in the prior quarter, despite demand at its theme parks business trending lower.

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group will report on Friday as it comes off of a three-year government antitrust probe, helping boost the company’s share price since then. Alibaba’s report follows a disappointing quarter where its revenue fell short of expectations and its profit fell. JD.com, another Chinese online retailer, will issue its quarterly financial report on Thursday.

Bitcoin miner MARA Holdings will report its earnings on Tuesday, coming after it raised $250 million to buy more of the digital currency to add to its balance sheet of more than 20,000 bitcoin.