The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Walmart, Home Depot, Target, Lowe's, Deere and JP Morgan

Zacks.com said on August 18, 2026, that its Analyst Blog featured Walmart (WMT), Home Depot (HD), Target (TGT), Lowe’s (LOW), Deere (DE) and JPMorgan (JPM). The Global Week Ahead centers on Reuters’ five world-market themes, including Gulf tensions, the Iran conflict, inflation and gold. Retail earnings may test U.S. consumer resilience across income groups and show whether geopolitical pressures are affecting household budgets. Gas exceeds $4 a gallon, although inflation elsewhere is cooling. Walmart and Target could indicate whether consumers are shifting toward essentials as fuel and transportation costs rise. Home Depot and Lowe’s may show whether inflation and borrowing costs are restraining home-improvement demand, while Deere could reveal effects of higher energy and input costs on farmers. Investors will watch management commentary on margins and demand. Food-inflation risks are increasing. A super El Niño, higher energy costs, fertilizer shortages linked to the Middle East conflict and grain-shipment disruptions from the war in Ukraine could intensify pressure, particularly in Asia and Latin America. India has already felt the impact. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization warned of another wave, while JPMorgan estimated that a strong El Niño at its peak could lift global food inflation by about 0.7%. After four months of outflows, gold ETFs are attracting capital. Central banks bought 289 metric tons between April and June, more than in any second quarter on record, according to the World Gold Council. Japan’s GDP is expected to expand at an annualized 2% in the three months through June, the median forecast of 15 economists, marking a third consecutive quarterly advance. Markets increasingly expect the Bank of Japan to raise its policy rate by 25 basis points to 1.25% next month, after June’s hike to 1%. In the U.K., inflation eased to 2.6% in June after energy prices fell following the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, but renewed fighting could produce a higher July reading. Extreme heat is hurting food production, supermarkets warn of a food-price shock, and Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces cost-of-living pressure. The Bank of England’s rate-hike prospects are lower, but not zero. Recent GDP beat expectations, helped by hot weather, World Cup football and stronger business investment. Zacks also promoted seven Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days and free reports on the featured companies. Past performance is not indicative of future results, and investing involves risk.