Last Week’s Highlights:

Last week, the Dow Jones led the major indices with a 1.41% increase week-over-week. Walmart (WMT) helped lead the index higher rising 8.5% after beating Wall Street estimates for both sales and earnings-per-share. The Arkansas-based company also raised their sales guidance for the year. Nielsen Holdings (NLSN) was the largest gainer in the S&P 500 increasing nearly 20% week-over-week. Activist Elliott Management took a stake in the information and data management company with intention of pushing the Board-of-Directors for a strategic review of the business. In economic news, retail sales beat Wall Street estimates rising 0.5% month-over-month versus a consensus estimate of 0.2%. Housing starts came in slightly below consensus at 1.17 million.

Looking Ahead:

This week, investors will get further results from the retail sector with Kohl’s (KSS) and TJX (TJX) both reporting quarterly results on Tuesday. Target (TGT) and Lowe’s (LOW) will report before the opening bell on Wednesday with Williams Sonoma (WSM) reporting after the closing bell. On Thursday, investors will hear from L Brands (LB), The Gap (GPS) and The Children’s Place (PLCE). On the economic front, housing will continue to be in focus with the release of July Existing Home Sales on Wednesday morning. July New Home Sales as well as July Building Permits will be released on Thursday Morning.