The stock market has hit a rocky patch as the U.S. trade war, with its on-again, off-again tariffs, spread uncertainty over the global economy. The shake up could be temporary. But for the time being, traders have pulled back to watch for clearer signals. The market slipped into a correction on Monday, and IBD lowered its Stock Market Exposure guide to its lowest level: 0% to 20%.
Earnings season eases a bit in the coming week. Adobe (ADBE) and Oracle (ORCL) are the big tech names reporting. Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS) leads a slew of retailers due to report. Texas hosts two major industry conferences, South By Southwest and the CERA Energy Week, both of which could possibly generate market moving news. Inflation data will also clearly be on the stock market radar.
But the big news will most probably continue to roll out of Washington, where the federal government is undergoing a crash and burn restructuring. The complex impact of those changes has just begun to work its way through the stock market.
↑ X NOW PLAYING Here's Why Difficult Times In The Market Make Things Easier For TradersThe stock market is in a correction, so investors should be focusing on build watchlists rather than bulking up portfolios. Look for stocks that show relative strength, even if they don't have bases yet. TG Therapeutics (TGTX) has vaulter a trend line and passed an early entry, but remained below a cup base buy point at 36.84. Life Time Group (LTH) is in good base-building position after a 13% pullback. Heico (HEI) and Allstate (ALL) are working on handles on the right side of cup bases. NYSE-parent Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) is in a buy zone after testing support at its 21-day line. Keep in mind that resilient stocks can suddenly crack if a market downturn persists.
The February consumer price index on Wednesday will headline the coming week's economic data. Wall Street expects further disinflation, as concerns shift from higher prices to lower growth. FactSet estimates see the core CPI up 0.29%, an improvement over the year-ago 0.37% rise. But markets care more about the Federal Reserve's primary inflation rate, the core PCE price index, due on Thursday. It combines inputs from the CPI and the producer price index. In January, a hot core CPI reading was offset by some tame PPI data, especially cooling health care services inflation. On Wednesday, the Treasury's federal budget update could show some impact of DOGE spending cuts.
Jobs Report Shows Softer Labor Market, But Fed Chair Powell Calls It 'Solid'; S&P 500 Bounces
Investors following Oracle's fiscal third quarter earnings late Monday, are likely to focus on whether the database software giant can continue posting revenue growth above 50% for its cloud infrastructure business. Another point of interest will be details on its role in Stargate — the White House's $100 billion AI infrastructure effort that includes Oracle, OpenAI, SoftBank and others. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to increase 11% to $1.49 per share while sales increase 8% to $14.4 billion. The global operation said a strong dollar was a headwind in its prior guidance for the February-ended quarter. Oracle rallied nearly 60% in 2024. But it is off highs as AI stocks have slumped.
Austin's South By Southwest conference, a mashup of music, technology and film, runs now through March 15. Music headliners include Band Of Horses and Benson Boone. Tech sessions include Apple and Disney executives. Among the speakers are Jay Graber of Bluesky Social, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna and Signal Foundation's Meredith Whittaker.
Retailers rule the last busy week of the fourth-quarter reporting season. Dick's Sporting Good, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) and Dollar Tree (DLTR) and Dollar General (DG) highlight the calendar. Analysts have modest expectations, but discussion of strategy — as consumer spending slows and tariffs ramp higher — will be of central interest.
Digital media and marketing software maker Adobe releases fiscal Q1 results late Wednesday. Investors have been waiting for company investments in generative artificial intelligence to reignite growth in its Creative Cloud, Document Cloud and Experience Cloud businesses. But analysts expect adjusted earnings of $4.97 a share, up 11% year over year, on sales of $5.66 billion, up 9%. That would mark a sixth consecutive quarter of slowing earnings growth on a year-over-year basis.
What promises to be a spirited CERA week conference runs from March 10 to 14 in Houston. Named for Cambridge Energy Research Associates, long since rolled up into S&P Global, the conference is one of the premier confabs for advocates of fossil fuels, as well as the broader energy picture. Speakers include former energy secretary Ernest Moniz, director of the World Nuclear Association and executives from a panoply of top energy and tech companies. Wednesday includes a conversation between CERA founder and S&P Global Vice President Daniel Yergin and Continental Resources founder and executive chairman Harold Hamm. A key player in Donald Trump's campaign for president, Hamm might provide specifics on how Trump plans to actually get the U.S. oil industry to "drill, baby, drill."
Ciena (CIEN) reports fiscal first quarter earnings on Tuesday. Analysts predict the fiber optic network gear maker's EPS will fall 37% to 41 cents with revenue rising 1% to $1.052 billion. Ciena stock had rallied 88% in 2024 and rose to a peak in January. It has since fallen to its 200-day line.
United Natural Foods (UNFI) releases its Q2 2025 results early Tuesday. FactSet expects earnings to increase to 18 cents per share from 7 cents per share last year. Analysts see revenue growing 2.4% to $7.96 billion. After a 68% advance in 2024, UNFI stock has fallen almost 24% from its Feb. 14 high and is now down about 3% in 2025.
Korn Ferry (KFY) reports early Tuesday. Analysts expect the recruitment firm to post a 5.5% earnings increase to $1.13 per share. Revenue is seen falling 3% to $654.8 million. That would mark the sixth straight quarter of falling sales and a sharp sequential slowdown on the bottom line. Korn Ferry stock has slumped into its Q3 report, after a big rally to multiyear highs in 2024.
Weibo (WB) reports fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday. The Chinese social media company's earnings are projected to decrease 11% to 39 cents per share while sales are seen decreasing 2.7% to $451 million. While the stock has posted three straight down years, U.S.-listed WB stock has gained 13% this year and 36% over the past 12 months.
Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) serves up its Q4 results late Thursday. Analyst targets are positive and gold is trading just off record highs. Silver has climbed sharply since late February. Also, the Vancouver, B.C.-based miner may offer some unique views from the northern front of the still gathering U.S./Canadian trade war. An eight-week rally has left Wheaton up 26% year to date, and extended from an early February breakout.
Check Out IBD's New Exposure Levels To Help You Stay In Step With The Market Trend
Top Growth Stocks To Buy And Watch In Today's Stock Market And Dow Jones
Learn How To Time The Market With IBD's ETF Market Strategy
Find The Best Long-Term Investments With IBD Long-Term Leaders
Spot Buy Points And Sell Signals With MarketSurge Pattern Recognition
免責聲明：投資有風險，本文並非投資建議，以上內容不應被視為任何金融產品的購買或出售要約、建議或邀請，作者或其他用戶的任何相關討論、評論或帖子也不應被視為此類內容。本文僅供一般參考，不考慮您的個人投資目標、財務狀況或需求。TTM對信息的準確性和完整性不承擔任何責任或保證，投資者應自行研究並在投資前尋求專業建議。