What to Watch in Markets This Week: Tesla, Intel, Airline Earnings Reports; March U.S. Retail Sales

The Census Bureau is slated to share new retail spending data.
Credit: Robert Nickelsberg / Getty Images

Investors remain focused on developments in U.S.-Iran relations, with news of a ceasefire and an open-for-business Strait of Hormuz firing up investor optimism on Friday. But some economic and corporate news will also get attention this week.

The conflict has implications for oil prices, inflation and consumer spending. New information on the latter will land with Monday’s release of March U.S. retail sales data: Investors are keen to see how consumers are handling one of the largest jumps in inflation in years ahead of the Fed’s policy meeting next week and tax refunds often bolstering spending around this time of year. (Observers generally expect the central bank to hold rates steady, though hopes of rate cuts in 2026 haven’t faded completely.) Retail spending picked up 0.6% in February, after dipping slightly in January amid harsh weather, according to the Census Bureau.

Quarterly updates from the “Magnificent 7” tech stocks are set to start Wednesday, when Tesla reports results. Investors should have plenty to assess, with the company and CEO Elon Musk generating a flurry of headlines in recent weeks. Sluggish electric vehicle sales have weighed on Tesla shares, and the company is trying to transform into an emerging technology specialist.

Recent announcements have shed light on Musk’s vision—and lifted share prices. Musk said Tesla finished designing a new chip and brought Intel in as a partner on its “terafab” chip production project. Investors are also thinking about how an initial public offering of Musk’s space company SpaceX could impact Tesla. Intel, meanwhile, is also set to report results this week.

The big U.S. indexes touched record highs last week amid optimism that the U.S., Israel and Iran would move closer to resolution. Investors pulled tech stocks higher, showing increased appetite for risk and the tech trade. For the week, the Nasdaq, S&P 500, and Dow all posted strong advances, delivering a third consecutive week of gains across the board. Read Friday’s markets recap here.

Here are some of the most notable events in the week ahead. TradingView publishes a more detailed calendar; clicking the link will take you off the Investopedia site.

• Tuesday, April 21. UnitedHealth Group (UNH) is set to release first-quarter results before the opening bell, followed by a conference call at 8 a.m. ET. Its shares have slumped amid a reported investigation into United’s insurance billing practices, rising health care costs and an unexpected leadership change, though higher Medicare Advantage rates have some optimistic they’ll rebound.

• Tuesday: The Census Bureau is scheduled to release March retail sales data at 8:30 a.m. ET.

• Tuesday: United Airlines (UAL) is slated to release first-quarter results after the closing bell, and host a conference call the following morning at 10:30 a.m. ET. CEO Scott Kirby recently floated the idea of buying American Airlines, a deal that could create the biggest airline in the world but would likely also raise antitrust concerns.

• Wednesday, April 22. Tesla (TSLA) is set to release first-quarter results after the bell, followed by a webcast at 5:30 p.m. ET.

• Thursday, April 23. American Airlines Group (AAL) is scheduled to discuss its first-quarter results during a conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET. Several carriers have raised fares to offset soaring jet fuel prices, and investors will look to see whether price increases have impacted otherwise strong demand. Southwest Airlines (LUV) is set to talk about its first-quarter results on a conference call at 10 a.m. ET.

• Thursday: Intel (INTC) is slated to host a conference call on its first-quarter results at 5 p.m. ET. The microprocessor and chip maker expects its performance to improve over the course of the year as a shortage of hardware components eases.