Next week's calendar features Fed minutes and several major retailers reporting earnings
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes will likely be the key focus next week, as traders look for clues on the first rate hike in years. Meanwhile, retail earnings hit full stride, with blue chips Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) leading the pack. In addition, American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO), Staples, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPLS), and Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) will report, as will a handful of China-based stocks and notable tech names Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) and Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRVL).
Below is a brief list of some key market events scheduled for the upcoming week. All earnings dates listed below are tentative and subject to change. Please check with each company's respective website for official reporting dates.
Monday 8/17
Monday kicks off with the Empire State manufacturing survey and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) housing market index data. Meanwhile, several energy names could be in focus, as the EnerCom Oil & Gas Conference kicks off.
Turning to earnings, Agilent (A), Estee Lauder (EL), MasTec (MTZ), Real Industry (RELY), and Urban Outfitters (URBN) will report.
Tuesday 8/18
Housing starts and building permits for July are on the docket for Tuesday.
Dow components Home Depot (HD) and Wal-Mart (WMT) will lead the earnings news Tuesday, with Canadian Solar (CSIQ), Trina Solar (TSL), Analog Devices (ADI), Cheetah Mobile (CMCM), Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS), Hain Celestial (HAIN), La-Z-Boy (LZB), TJX (TJX), SINA (SINA), Weibo (WB) all following suit.
Wednesday 8/19
Wednesday brings about the release of the consumer price index (CPI) and core CPI, as well as the weekly crude inventories report. Most notably, though, the FOMC will release the minutes from its July meeting. Watch for investors to pore over the notes for more rate-hike timing clues.
Retail earnings continue to roll in, with American Eagle (AEO), L Brands (LB), Lowe's (LOW), Staples (SPLS), and Target (TGT) set to report earnings. Other companies reporting include Youku Tudou (YOKU), Eaton Vance (EV), Hormel Foods (HRL), ARC Group (ARCW), Momo (MOMO), NetApp (NTAP), Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (PLKI), and Synopsis (SNPS). Caterpillar (CAT), meanwhile, will hold a teleconference with investors and analysts.
Thursday 8/20
The calendar remains busy on Thursday, with weekly jobless claims, July existing home sales, the Philadelphia Fed business outlook survey, and the Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators. In addition to this news, San Francisco Fed President John Williams will give a speech in Jakarta.
Companies stepping into the earnings fray include Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Marvell Technology Group (MRVL), Cyberonics (CYBX), JinkoSolar Holding (JKS), Intuit (INTU), Madison Square Garden (MSG), Mentor Graphics (MENT), and Salesforce.com (CRM). Meanwhile, retail earnings continue with Bon-Ton Stores (BONT), Buckle (BKE), Kirklands (KIRK), Perry Ellis (PERY), Sears Holding (SHLD), Stage Stores (SSI), Stein Mart (SMRT), Gap (GPS), New York & Co (NWY), Ross Stores (ROST), The Fresh Market (TFM), and Tuesday Morning (TUES) reporting.
Friday 8/21
The only data point of note on Friday will be the flash purchasing managers manufacturing index (PMI) for August.
Deere (DE) and Foot Locker (FL) will bring our earnings week to a close.