What to Expect in Markets this Week: A Slew of Retailers Report Earnings—Along with Dell and Other AI Players

Gap is one of several retailers slated to report results this week.
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Investors have a short week ahead—and a long list of retailer earnings to peruse.

Quarterly results from companies including Dollar Tree, Burlington Stores, Gap and American Eagle Outfitters are set to land this week. They could offer more insights into how consumers are responding to high gas prices, rising inflation and a stalled job market. Investors are looking for clearer trend lines after mass retailers painted a somewhat muddled outlook.

Last week, Walmart issued a soft forecast for the current quarter, though it maintained its full-year outlook. Target topped expectations and raised its outlook. Still, shares of both companies fell. Shoe and apparel companies had better luck impressing investors: Strong results boosted shares of VF Corp., the parent company of The North Face and Timberland; Amer Sports, the parent company of Arc’Teryx; and Ralph Lauren.

Despite feeling downbeat about the economy, Americans have continued to spend, a break with historic norms. Investors are wondering how long that attitude will last, and they’ll get fresh data Tuesday when the Conference Board, an economic think tank, updates its Consumer Confidence Index.

The week may also shed further light on the state of the AI trade after Nvidia’s results last week. Dell Technologies, Synopsys, and Marvell Technology are set to hand in results. Dell and Synopsys executives have said demand remains brisk.

Market Recap

The major stock indexes all ended last week with gains, closing out affairs with a modestly upbeat session that lifted the benchmark S&P 500 to an eighth consecutive week of gains. Investors tracked a potential thaw in U.S.-Iran relations, falling oil prices and earnings from Nvidia that showed the potential for the AI buildout to stay on track. Read Investopedia’s full coverage of Friday’s trading here.

This Week’s Top Events

Stock and bond markets will be closed Monday for Memorial Day. Here’s a look at notable events happening throughout the rest of the week. TradingView publishes a more detailed calendar, but clicking the link will take you off the Investopedia site.

• Tuesday, May 26: The Conference Board is set to update its U.S. Consumer Confidence Index at 10 a.m. ET. Consumers have been relatively pessimistic, though their mood brightened a bit last month.

• Wednesday, April 27: Best Buy (BBY) is slated to release its first-quarter results and host a conference call at 8 a.m. ET. The forum will give investors a chance to hear from executive Jason Bonfig, who is slated to become CEO of the retailer.

• Wednesday: Marvell Technology (MRVL) is slated to release first-quarter results at 4:45 p.m. ET and host a conference call shortly after that. Marvell shares have shot up more than 200% over the past year, thanks in part to strong results last quarter and investment from big names like Nvidia (NVDA).

• Wednesday: Synopsys (SNPS) is set to release its second-quarter results after the closing bell, followed by a conference call at 5 p.m. ET. Company shares rose in March on news that activist firm Elliott Investment Management, had a stake in Synopsys.

• Wednesday: Salesforce (CRM) is scheduled to share its first-quarter results after the stock market closes, and discuss its performance on a live broadcast at 5 p.m. ET. Salesforce shares rallied after the software giant beat expectations last quarter, but they’re still down more than 30% from a year ago.

• Thursday, May 28: Dollar Tree (DLTR) is scheduled to report first-quarter results before the opening bell, followed by a conference call at 8 a.m. ET. Investors will watch for signs that growth is slowing at dollar stores as low-income customers cut back, offsetting gains from affluent shoppers.

• Thursday: Off-price retailer Burlington Stores (BURL) plans to share its first-quarter results before the stock market opens, and host a conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET. One of its competitors, TJX (TJX), recently reported strong numbers and issued a rosy forecast. Kohl’s (KSS) is also slated to report on Thursday.

• Thursday: Dell Technologies (DELL) plans to release its first-quarter results, followed by a conference call at 4:30 p.m. ET. The computer and server company’s bullishness impressed investors last quarter, with company executives saying “the AI opportunity is transforming” Dell.

• Thursday: Gap (GAP) is set to publish its first-quarter results at 4:15 p.m. ET, followed by a conference call at 5 p.m. ET. American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) will also post first-quarter results after the closing bell.