This week is the last trading week of the year on Wall Street, packed with important economic and earnings reports. The data could help sharpen the market outlook for 2026 after a rough week for stocks, with the S&P 500 index closing at a record high last Thursday but ending the week lower. 1. Economy first: The U.S. government is still sorting through data delayed by the record 43-day federal government shutdown. As a result, the biggest focus for investors will be on Tuesday morning’s November jobs report and October retail sales, followed by Thursday morning’s release of the November consumer price index. Economists expect nonfarm payrolls to rise by 40,000 in November and the unemployment rate to hold steady at 4.4%, according to FactSet. Some delayed October data will be included in Tuesday’s print issue, but there will be no separate release for October. The September employment report, released on November 20 after a delay from October 3, showed a bigger-than-expected increase in jobs by 119,000 people. However, the unemployment rate rose to 4.4%, the highest level since October 2021. The government’s October retail sales report will also be released on Tuesday morning. While it provides additional insight into the state of consumer activity at the beginning of the fourth quarter, this information is somewhat outdated given that management has already discussed how the holiday quarter started and we already have sales data for the early part of the holiday season. The consumer price index for November will be released on Thursday morning. Given the Federal Reserve’s choice to cut interest rates last week, investors will want to see evidence that inflation remains largely contained, even though economists expect both the headline rate and the core rate, which excludes food and energy prices, to rise 3.1% year over year. This would be an increase over the 3% reading seen in both in September. The October CPI release was canceled due to the government shutdown. 2. Look at the bottom line: Within the club’s portfolio, Nike will report after the closing bell on Thursday. We don’t expect this to be the prettiest report, but given the company is in the midst of a difficult turnaround, we’ll be looking for signs of improvement. One important area that needs a deeper understanding is inventory. At Friday’s December monthly meeting, Jim Cramer said he needed to make sure CEO Elliott Hill, who has been in the job for about 14 months, had made significant progress in clearing old and expired inventory. Even more important is innovation. Jim said that part may still take some time. However, input from management about new and exciting sneakers and apparel in development and plans for restocks is critical. TheStreet wants Nike to achieve revenue of $12.22 billion and earnings per share (EPS) of 38 cents, according to consensus estimates compiled by LSEG. While Nike is the only club name reported this week, there are several other companies to keep an eye on. Homebuilder Lennar, which airs on Tuesday evenings, and KB Home, which airs on Thursday evenings, provide further insight into the state of homes. This will help you understand the club name Home Depot better. This is because it relies heavily on the real estate market. Micron’s announcement on Wednesday will take another look at semiconductor and data center trade. Our portfolio includes a number of AI companies, including Broadcom and Nvidia on the chip side and Amazon and Microsoft on the cloud and data center side. Durden, owner of Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse, will speak Thursday morning and is expected to provide insight into how consumers are feeling and, by extension, their spending, as well as provide commentary on the club’s name, Texas Roadhouse. (Jim Cramer’s charitable trusts are long NKE, HD, AVGO, NVDA, AMZN, MSFT, TXRH. See here for a complete list of stocks.) As a subscriber to Jim Cramer’s CNBC Investment Club, you will receive trade alerts before Jim makes a trade. After Jim sends a trade alert, he waits 45 minutes before buying or selling stocks in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim talks about a stock on CNBC TV, he will issue a trade alert and then wait 72 hours before executing the trade. The above investment club information is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, along with our disclaimer. No fiduciary duties or obligations exist or arise from your receipt of information provided in connection with the Investment Club. No specific results or benefits are guaranteed.
