Walmart Is Next Test for Traders Fretting About Consumer Stocks
- Starbucks, McDonald’s and Amazon sent alarming demand signals
- Focus now turns to retailers’ earnings starting next week
Trailers outside a Walmart store in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Photographer: Victor J. Blue/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Earnings from a string of household names are stoking concern over the resilience of American consumers and stocks tied to their spending, raising the stakes for results from the nation’s largest retailers.
Starbucks Corp., McDonald’s Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. reported results last week that sent some alarming signals around demand from their customers. The announcements fueled doubts around how consumers are holding up as the Federal Reserve signals plans to keep interest rates high for months to come to tame sticky inflation.