Week Ahead: Alibaba and Walmart Earnings Collide With FOMC Minutes in Consumer Demand Test
The coming session sequence pairs the two most important global consumer read-throughs with the Federal Reserve's policy transcript, while a 53-year-old lawn and garden retailer's Chapter 11 filing underscores widening stress in discretionary retail.
Alibaba and Walmart headline next week's earnings calendar, offering the cleanest available signal on Chinese and US household spending, with the release of FOMC meeting minutes providing the policy counterpoint. Against that macro backdrop, a 53-year-old lawn and garden retailer is facing Chapter 11 with liquidation on the table. Elsewhere, Bill Gates' foundation portfolio added Home Depot, Alphabet is contending with thousands of lawsuits, and a long-standing Berkshire dividend holding hit an all-time high in Greg Abel's first period at the helm.