Walmart, Cisco, Alibaba, Petrobras: Stocks to watch this week

Markets ended last week on a high after a turbulent stretch, with stocks rallying as investors absorbed a flurry of headlines: The Fed held rates steady, a tentative U.S.-U.K. trade deal emerged, and Alphabet’s ongoing antitrust saga took a twist as Apple’s Eddy Cue testified about waning search volumes.

This week may offer a relative breather, but there’s still plenty in play. Earnings season is winding down, yet several big names are still set to report, including the planet’s largest retailer by revenue, Walmart (WMT+0.77%).

Meanwhile, key economic data — including April inflation and retail sales — will test whether the market’s rally has legs. A potential U.S.-China trade breakthrough also lingers in the background, though expectations are mixed.

Monday, May 12

Earnings kick off with a global slate. Mall operator Simon Property Group (SPG-0.95%) will report alongside NRG Energy (NRG-1.19%) and Fox Corporation (FOXA-0.75%), owner of Fox News and more.

On the macro front, the U.S. Treasury’s April budget statement lands in the afternoon, offering a fiscal snapshot as deficit debates simmer.

Tuesday, May 13

Look out for inflation data: The April Consumer Price Index drops at 8:30 a.m. ET, giving investors a key read on inflation. Earnings-wise, Oil major Petrobras (PBR-2.33%) and Sony (SONY+0.54%) lead alongside Sea Limited (SE-0.48%), the Singaporean tech conglomerate, and JD.com (JD-1.32%). Vodafone (VOD+1.77%) is on deck too.

Wednesday, May 14

It’ll be a quieter day on the data front, but Cisco Systems (CSCO-0.12%) reports after the bell, with expected EPS of $0.75 — slightly ahead of last year’s $0.72 — providing insights into enterprise tech demand, a closely watched signal these days. Ambev S.A. (BUD+0.91%), the Brazilian brewer in which Inbev is a large shareholder, and CoreWeave, a rising AI infrastructure player, will also report.

Thursday, May 15

Buckle up for a data deluge. At 8:30 a.m. ET, the April Producer Price Index and Retail Sales report hits, alongside regional reads from the Empire State and Philly Fed manufacturing surveys. At 9:15: Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization. At 10:00: March Business Inventories.

On the earnings side: Walmart leads, giving analysts a real-time snapshot of U.S. consumer health, especially among lower- and middle-income households. As the world’s largest retailer, Walmart’s results portray broad retail trends, inflation pressures, and shifts in spending behavior. Attention is likely to be extra high this week amid hopes of a U.S.-China trade deal and signs of a widening gap between lower-income Americans’ sentiment and Wall Street’s recent bullish run.

Expect results from Chinese tech giant Alibaba (BABA+0.19%), John Deere (DE-0.26%), Applied Materials (AMAT+0.21%), and NetEase (NTES+0.29%) to drop too.

Friday, May 16

The week wraps with a trio of economic reads. At 8:30 a.m. ET, April’s Import and Export Price Indexes offer a window into goods inflation, while Housing Starts and Building Permits reveal the pulse of new construction. At 10:00 a.m., the University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index offers an early read on May’s mood.

As usual, Earnings season ends with a whimper and not a bang, as results trickle in from a handful of overseas names. Unless geopolitical headlines break late, markets may exhale after a particularly breathless run.