Retail sales, Walmart earnings, More Fedspeak: What to know this week

Retail sales, Walmart earnings, More Fedspeak: What to know this week

The retail sector will be in focus this week after a string of wild trading sessions on Wall Street. Quarterly financials from megastore Walmart (WMT) and other consumer giants are in the queue, in addition to April’s retail sales report scheduled for release Tuesday.

Investors will tune in for additional remarks from Federal Reserve officials, including Chair Jerome Powell in the week ahead, as inflation continues to run hot across the U.S. economy.

Friday capped the sixth straight down week for U.S. equities following a vicious streak of selling. Renewed concerns over consistent elevated price levels, and the prospect of an economic slowdown, stirred up further turbulence in markets. The major indexes rallied to turn positive in the last session, but remained near 2022 lows after the S&P 500 fell below 4,000 hovering near bear market territory for much of the week.