Weekly market recap
U.S. stock index futures were about unchanged during overnight trading on Sunday, after the major averages posted their best week in months amid a stronger-than-expected start to earnings season.
The major averages are coming off a winning week. The $Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI.US)$advanced 382 points on Friday, ending the week with a 1.58% gain for its best week since June. The $S&P 500 Index (.SPX.US)$rose 1.82% last week for its best week since July, while the $Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC.US)$saw its best week since the end of August, with the tech-heavy index adding 2.18%.
So far 41 S&P 500 components have reported third-quarter results, with 80% of them topping EPS expectations, according to data from FactSet. Taking into account the companies that have already reported and estimates for the rest, third-quarter profit growth will total 30%, the third highest quarterly growth rate for S&P 500 companies since 2010, according to FactSet.
Here's a look at the return of S&P 500 sectors
This week ahead in focus
Seventy-two S&P 500 companies report earnings this week, as third-quarter earnings season ramps up. Several big U.S. banks got things off to a strong start last week. This week's earnings highlights will include results from notable companies in telecom, consumer staples, energy, technology, health care, and the airline industry.
Economic data highlights this week include the Conference Board's Leading Economic Index for September on Thursday and IHS Markit's Manufacturing and Services Purchasing Managers' indexes for October on Friday. All are seen easing back from their prior months' levels.
Other releases this week include the Federal Reserve's most recent Beige Book, describing economic conditions across the U.S., and a pair of September housing-market indicators: The Census Bureau reports new residential construction data on Tuesday and the National Association of Realtors reports existing-home sales on Thursday.
Monday 10/18
The Federal Reserve releases industrial production data for September. Economists are looking for a 0.20% rise after a 0.4% increase in August. Capacity utilization is expected at 76.5% for September, roughly in line with August's 76.4%.
$Albertsons Companies (ACI.US)$, $Royal Philips (PHG.US)$, $Steel Dynamics (STLD.US)$, and $State Street (STT.US)$are among companies releasing quarterly financial results.
Tuesday 10/19
The Census Bureau reports new residential construction data for September. Economists forecast a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.623 million housing starts, compared with 1.615 million in August.
$Halliburton (HAL.US)$, $Procter & Gamble (PG.US)$, $Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.US)$, Synchrony, $The Travelers Companies (TRV.US)$, $Philip Morris International (PM.US)$, $Kansas City Southern (KSU.US)$, $Netflix (NFLX.US)$, and $Dover (DOV.US)$are among companies hosting earnings conference calls.
Wednesday 10/20
The Federal Reserve releases its beige book about current economic conditions across the central bank's 12 districts.
$Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US)$, $Biogen (BIIB.US)$, $NextEra Energy (NEE.US)$, $Bed Bath & Beyond Inc (BBBY.US)$ $ASML Holding (ASML.US)$, $Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd (CP.CA)$, $Verizon (VZ.US)$, $Tesla (TSLA.US)$, $IBM Corp (IBM.US)$, and $Anthem (ANTM.US)$discuss quarterly financial results.
Thursday 10/21
The National Association of Realtors reports existing-home sales for September. Economists forecast a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.10 million homes sold, compared with 5.88 million homes in August.
$Dow Inc (DOW.US)$, $Freeport-McMoRan (FCX.US)$, $Genuine Parts (GPC.US)$, $Southwest Airlines (LUV.US)$, $Valero Energy (VLO.US)$, $Blackstone (BX.US)$, $Quest Diagnostics (DGX.US)$, $BARCLAYS PLC (BCLYF.US)$, $Danaher (DHR.US)$, $AT&T (T.US)$, Nucor, $American Airlines (AAL.US)$, $AutoNation (AN.US)$, $Intel (INTC.US)$, $Snap Inc (SNAP.US)$, and $Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG.US)$host earnings conference calls to discuss quarterly results.
The Philadelphia Fed diffusion index, a measure of overall manufacturing activity, is expected to fall to 24 in October from September's 30.7 reading.
The Conference Board releases its Leading Economic Index for September. Expectations are for a 0.50% rise, after August's 0.90% gain.
Friday 10/22
IHS Markit releases the Manufacturing and Services Purchasing Managers' indexes for October. Consensus estimate for the Manufacturing PMI is 60.3, while the Services PMI is expected to be 54.7, compared with 60.7 and 54.9, respectively, in September.
$Whirlpool (WHR.US)$, $Honeywell (HON.US)$, $Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF.US)$, $Celanese Corp (CE.US)$, $HCA Healthcare (HCA.US)$, $Schlumberger (SLB.US)$, $VF Corp (VFC.US)$, and $American Express (AXP.US)$host investor conference calls.
Source: CNBC, Barron's

$Block (SQ.US)$ potential up on Monday?

After the strong posting results of $Traeger (COOK.US)$ , $Weber (WEBR.US)$ will definitely battle to better ther results with their strong history with 25% and more. Sales had been impressive during this pamdamic (60% increase)!

Welcome Mooers,
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$Pfizer (PFE.US)$
$BioNTech (BNTX.US)$
$Moderna (MRNA.US)$
$Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.US)$
$AstraZeneca (AZN.US)$
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To decide whether to invest in th...