The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Walmart, Home Depot, Target, Lowe and TJX

For Immediate ReleaseChicago, IL – May 20, 2025 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Walmart WMT, Home Depot HD, Target TGT, Lowe's LOW and TJX Companies TJX.Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blog:Big-Box Retailers Supply Earnings: Global Week AheadWhat should we expect from this Global Week Ahead?Investors are relieved.The U.S. and Mainland China paused their damaging trade war.Stocks are rallying.U.S. shelves may not be empty at Christmas, after all.But trade tensions have not disappeared.They have merely receded.Next are Reuters' five world market themes, re-ordered for equity traders—(1) Big-box U.S. retailers will wrap up what has been a solid Q2 earnings season.Major U.S. retailers' earnings will be in focus, after industry bellwetherWalmart, warned it would start raising prices because of tariffs.As first-quarter earnings season winds down, Home Depot, Target, Lowe's and TJX Companies, are among those reporting.Investors hope the companies will shed more light on the impact from sweeping tariffs on consumer spending and any other trade-related fallout.Data on Thursday showed U.S. Retail Sales growth slowed in April, as the boost from households front-loading motor vehicle purchases ahead of tariffs faded and households pulled back on other spending.Overall, U.S. corporate profit numbers have topped expectations.About 90% of S&P500 companies have reported, with earnings set to have climbed +14% from the year-ago period, up from an estimate of +8% on April 1st, according to LSEG IBES.(2) G7 Finance Ministers gather together, from May 20th to May 22nd in Canada.Markets have (mostly) ignored G7 meetings for years.The May 20th – 22nd gathering of finance ministers and central bank governors from the seven big Western economies in the Canadian mountain town of Banff might change that.First, the tension is palpable, given U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policy and growing signs of U.S. isolationism.And Trump wants Canada to become the 51st U.S. state, a suggestion that has angered the G7 host, Canada.Also, watch currencies.In addition to the volatility from tariff uncertainty, there's speculation that some will tolerate the strength of their own currencies against the dollar as part of trade negotiations.Taiwan's dollar has surged, South Korea and the U.S. have discussed foreign exchange, and Japan also wants to talk currencies.Meanwhile, the next U.S. Treasury currency manipulator report, which could add extra spice to the meeting, is due any day.(3) Signals from Mainland China now look much more positive.Investors know not to take anything for granted, but signals from China following the 90-day tariff truce have all been pointing in a positive direction.China's rare earths — a critical component for high-tech applications from electric vehicle (EV) motors and smartphones to missile guidance systems — are flowing again. It has also paused some non-tariff barriers on U.S. entities.Washington has also ceded, pulling duties on small packages back to as low as 30%, in a lifeline for Shein and China's other fast-fashion giants.Both sides are now less worried about hyper-inflated Barbie prices in the U.S. this Christmas, as the piles of dolls — and other goods — currently piled up in Chinese warehouses will start to shift.Exports have been the bright spot for China's economy. Monday's retail sales and factory output data will provide some guidance on the health of the domestic economy.(4) The European Union (EU) & the United Kingdom (UK) hold a Monday summit.Investors anticipate that a UK-EU summit on Monday, May 19th will lead to a resetting of Britain's relationship with its biggest trading partner.U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, of the Labour party, has lambasted the previous Conservative government's "botched" Brexit deal and wants to remove trade barriers to boost Britain's sluggish economy.Purchasing managers' indices, next due on May 22, have signaled that the dominant services sector is contracting sharply.Consumer price data due on May 21 may also show Britain's tight labour market has kept inflation too high for the Bank of England to rapidly cut rates.For Starmer, however, the political risks of renewing EU links might outweigh the potential economic gains, as he grapples with surging support for the eurosceptic Reform Party.(5) Romania closes up its long Presidential election effort.Romania holds the deciding round of its presidential election on Sunday.The stakes are sky-high.A win for hard-right front-runner George Simion against reformist Nicursor Dan would mean more trouble for the currency, after the first round triggered its biggest fall in 15 years, and drove speculation about a loss of the country's investment grade status.There are growing worries of an even deeper political crisis and that much-needed fiscal consolidation won't happen, or at least not quickly enough to avoid a disgruntled European Commission cutting off Bucharest's vital EU funding.Dan hasn't really proposed a credible solution to the key concerns, but analysts warn that if the euro-skeptic nationalist Simion wins but fails to form a government, and the E.U. then turns the taps off, the leu could find itself as much as 20% weaker.Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.7% average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +48.4%, +50.2% and +56.7% per year.Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.See Stocks Free >>Media ContactZacks Investment Research800-767-3771 ext. 9339support@zacks.com                                      https://www.zacks.com                                                  Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2024. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%.Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Target Corporation (TGT): Free Stock Analysis Report The TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX): Free Stock Analysis Report Walmart Inc. (WMT): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks