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Interim data takes center stage, with Costco, Ford, Robinhood and Charles Schwab offering fresh reads on consumers, autos and retail trading
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Jobs Week still matters, as a soft payrolls print could influence the Fed's September rate decision
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Broadcom and lululemon add earnings volatility, while a strong summer at the box office offers another glimpse into consumer spending
It's Jobs Week on Wall Street, but don't ignore a slew of other macro and micro volatility catalysts. We're in this sort of awkward stretch before Labor Day in the U.S., but with summer seemingly in the rearview mirror. Indeed, traders and portfolio managers must gird for potential September market pops and drops (even with a tame VIX Index near 15).
See more: Moving Averages of the Ivy Portfolio and S&P 500: August 2026
As it stands, economists forecast about 55,000 jobs added last month, thought to be only marginally above the so-called breakeven employment gain needed to keep the jobless rate steady. The Department of Labor's report hits fresh after a disappointing negative estimate for payroll benchmark revisions per the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW).
All of this week's jobs numbers will likely influence Fed Chair Kevin Warsh and the 11 other Federal Open Market Committee voters when they next convene on September 15, then issuing a policy rate decision at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, September 16. Last week, the chairman addressed market participants from the shadows of the Grand Tetons in Jackson Hole, a speech that was received much more favorably among monetary policy experts compared to his somewhat evasive July FOMC presser.
High-Frequency Corporate Data
Front and center among the Wall Street Horizon team are the timeliest metrics of all: interim data. The turn of the month offers fresh sales figures, production volumes, and even retail trading activity. Four interim reports over the next nine days, taken together, may help investors gauge the state of the U.S. economy before Friday's big nonfarm payrolls report hits the tape.
1. Costco (COST) Same-Store Sales — Wednesday, September 2 AMC
Is the consumer cracking? That question would have been met with scoffs and answered with an emphatic "no" as recently as June. But July's official Retail Sales report was a bit light, TSA checkpoint numbers are down YoY, and a handful of retailers were not quite as upbeat last month as they were in previous earnings seasons.
Our favorite consumer adjective, "choiceful," made the rounds across analysts' desks, making this Wednesday afternoon's Costco August same-store sales report all the more interesting. It's all about extrapolating the latest trends in the mega-cap's middle- to upper-income customer base. COST then reports full fiscal Q4 results on Thursday, September 24 AMC.
2. Ford (F) August Sales — Thursday, September 3 BMO
Let's hope COST doesn't hike its hot dog prices, but a stock-split announcement would set September up on the right foot. The following morning, Ford publishes August vehicle sales tallies. Amid the rising cost of raw materials, a recalcitrant trade war between the U.S. and Canada, and (of course) record-high pump prices for this time of year, there's no shortage of bearish talking points.
Data speaks louder than narratives, though, and a healthy August revenue sum could help the struggling Consumer Discretionary sector.
3. Robinhood (HOOD) Trading Volume — Thursday, September 10
The summer featured intense volatility across sectors, arguably reaching a crescendo in late July around the Situational Awareness hedge fund blow-up and fire sale Citadel rescue. August S&P 500 trading volume helps confirm the thesis that financial seas are calming. Often, that's not great news for brokers.
On the flip side, retail asset management firms, like HOOD, can do just fine during ascending markets. AUM and net flows are the keys. Robinhood, specifically, is on the offensive, tapping into prediction markets and 24-hour trading. Its options trading platform was particularly strong over the April through June period.
4. Charles Schwab (SCHW) Interim Statement — Thursday, September 10 BMO
HOOD is hot among the under-30 crowd, while millennials and Gen Xers tend to gravitate more toward Schwab for their long-term investing. Fidelity and Vanguard Group are its big competitors for the "slow money," and 'Chuck's' full August core new net assets cross the wires next Thursday morning. Recall that the company scored a 24% YoY rise in July, posting $58.1 billion, bringing total client assets to $13.0 trillion.
Investors should also be on the lookout for Schwab's widely followed Trading Activity Index in the days ahead.
AVGO & LULU Could be Major Earnings Movers This Week
So, keep those interim updates on your calendar. Beyond the month-to-month, a few off-season quarterly earnings reports are on tap, none bigger than Broadcom (AVGO), hot on the heels of NVIDIA's (NVDA) gangbuster release and outlook last week. The custom-chip maker's stock price is down 23% from the June 2 closing high, and its market cap has slipped below that of SpaceX (SPCX). Major revenue and profit climbs are expected to be revealed Wednesday after the bell.
We'd be remiss to neglect a lululemon (LULU) mention. The embattled Apparel, Accessories and Luxury Goods industry company within Discretionary is in a 76% drawdown of its own, now near levels not seen since late 2018. For volatility names like these, it helps to draw signal from the options market. According to data from Option Research & Technology Services, LULU is expected to swing 9.3% after the report. Are shares stretched to the downside, or will the bears feel a bit exposed come the end of the week?
Silver Screen Strength
One more thing. The three-day weekend is oh-so-close, and hopefully all of your back-to-school shopping is done. It's also an important time for Hollywood studios. Producers hope Labor Day will be an exclamation point on what has been a solid summer showing. Last weekend, Spider-Man: Brand New Day retained the top box office spot, and Box Office Mojo by IMDbPro numbers show 21.8% YoY domestic ticket sales growth.
Maybe the consumer is slowing down, but they are speeding to theaters.
The Bottom Line
The Q2 earnings season is largely in the books, but there are more than a handful of interim reports in the queue, along with offseason earnings. Macro data will be critical, too, and taken together, all of it helps investors form a macro mosaic. Lean into all the reports and conferences on tap to stay ahead of the market's next big swing.
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