Hello friends and Fortune readers.
The height of earnings season is on the horizon after the close of the third quarter. This week features a smattering of company earnings, including Monsanto (MON) and Costco (COST), as well as more federal economic data following last week’s stellar jobs report.
Here’s what to watch out for in the week ahead.
1. How are Americans (and the world) eating these days?
A series of food companies report earnings this week, revealing a taste of what Americans and the world are eating. First up is fast food company Yum! Brands (YUM), the owner of Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Analysts expect it to rake in profits of 83 cents per share on $3.4 billion of sales.
Next up is restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday (RT), which is expected to report $283.4 million in sales and earnings-per-share of 13 cents on Wednesday.
PepsiCo (PEP) will bring up the rear on Thursday. The soda and chip company just released a brand new low-sugar Pepsi as it looks to boost global soda consumption amid obesity concerns. Analysts anticipate sales will reach $17.1 billion with earnings per share of $1.29.
2. The job market jolt.
The U.S. economy added a stunning 248,000 jobs in September, surpassing analysts expectations. The monthly JOLTS report, which stands for Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, comes out on Tuesday. This will be watched closely by Federal Reserve chairman Janet Yellen to see how the job market is faring. Any movements, good or bad, will play into the Fed’s decision about when to start raising interest rates. Economists expect job openings to be up month-over-month to 4.7 million.
3. The Federal Reserve minutes are released.
Speaking of Yellen, people will have a keen eye on her Wednesday when the Federal Open Markets Committee reveals the minutes from its meeting on Sept. 16 and 17. Investors around the world are anxious for any word on what will happen to U.S. interest rates, which have been near zero since December 2008. The Fed decided to wind down its quantitative easing program and will end the bond-buying program after October. It’s anticipated that the agency may raise rates not long after, though no one knows for sure.
4. HTC joins the technology presentation fray.
HTC, the Taiwanese smartphone maker, scheduled a press event for Wednesday and is expected to unveil an impressive “selfie” style camera for its new phone. Sources are circulating rumors that the announcement will focus on the addition of two 13-megapixel cameras, one on the front and one on the back of the smartphone. The so-called Desire Eye would be the first phone to feature the dual-camera option with that high of a pixel count. The phone may also feature a 5.2-inch HD display and 32-gigabytes of internal storage.
5. The U.S. Energy Secretary reflects on climate change.
The U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will speak about the state of the climate and national policies to fight global warming at the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday morning. The event is part of the secretary’s push to kick off National Energy Action Month and will build on President Obama’s recent drive to promote pro-climate policies that will strengthen America’s economic, environmental and national security future. Look out for any comment on how the U.S. may help drive the adoption of solar energy, which could become the world’s main energy source by 2050.
