Technology and retailer earnings reports and November jobs data will be this week’s highlights, as investors return from the Thanksgiving holiday.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the Jobs Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for October on Tuesday, followed by the November jobs report on Friday. Economists’ consensus forecast calls for a gain of 190,000 nonfarm payrolls in November after a hurricane-impacted October total of just 12,000 jobs added. The unemployment rate is expected to tick up to 4.2% from 4.1%.
Other economic data to watch this week will include the Institute for Supply Management’s Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index for November on Monday and the Services equivalent on Wednesday. The Federal Reserve will also publish its last beige book of the year on Wednesday and the University of Michigan will release its Consumer Sentiment Index for December on Friday.
Jerome Powell, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, Sam Altman and more will be at the DealBook Summit on Wednesday.
Earnings highlights this week will include Zscaler on Monday, Salesforce on Tuesday, and Campbell’s and Dollar Tree on Wednesday. Thursday will be busy: Brown-Forman, DocuSign, Dollar General, Gitlab, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Kroger, lululemon athletica, and Ulta Beauty all report.
Monday 12/2
Zscaler releases first-quarter fiscal-2025 results.
The Institute for Supply Management releases its Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index for November. Consensus estimate is for a 48 reading, 1.5 points more than in October. Readings below 50 suggest contraction in the sector, while above 50 suggest expansion.
Tuesday 12/3
Marvell Technology, Salesforce, Pure Storage, and Bank of Nova Scotia, announce earnings.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the Jobs Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for October. There were 7.44 million job openings on the last business day of September, the lowest level since January 2021, as the labor market comes into better balance, with roughly 1.1 job openings for every unemployed person.
Wednesday 12/4
Campbell’s, Dollar Tree, Hormel Foods, PVH, Royal Bank of Canada, SentinelOne, and Synopsys report quarterly results.
The Federal Reserve releases the beige book for the eighth and final time this year. The report gathers anecdotal information on current economic conditions from the 12 regional Federal Reserve banks.
The Institute for Supply Management releases its Services PMI for November. Expectations are for a 55.4 reading, slightly less than the October figure.
ADP releases its National Employment Report for November. The consensus call is for a gain of 158,000 in private-sector payrolls, compared to a 233,000 increase in October.
Thursday 12/5
Bank of Montreal, Brown-Forman, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Cooper Cos., DocuSign, Dollar General, Gitlab, Guidewire Software, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Kroger, lululemon athletica, Samsara, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Ulta Beauty, and Veeva Systems hold conference calls to discuss earnings.
Friday 12/6
The BLS releases the jobs report for November. Economists forecast an increase of 190,000 in nonfarm payrolls, following just a 12,000 gain in October. The October data might have been affected by Hurricanes Helene and Miltion, that hit the Southeast in late September and early October. The unemployment rate is expected to tick up to 4.2% from 4.1%. The unemployment rate, still very low by historical standards, has been higher than 4% for five consecutive months, the first such streak since late 2021.
The University of Michigan releases its Consumer Sentiment Index for December. Consumers’ expectations for the year ahead inflation was 2.6% in November, the lowest level since December 2020. However, longer run inflation expectations remained elevated, at 3.2%, matching the highest levels recorded in the surveys in the past 15 years.