A look at some of the key business events and economic indicators upcoming this week:
STRONG FINISH?
Wall Street expects that Walmart closed out its last fiscal year on a high note.
Analysts predict the nation's largest retailer's fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and revenue increased from a year earlier. Walmart has benefited from strong sales, particularly in its grocery business, which the company has expanded by rolling out an online delivery service.
CLOSE-UP ON THE FED
The Federal Reserve issues the minutes of its last monetary policymaking meeting Wednesday.
At the meeting, Fed officials elected to keep the central bank's key short-term interest rate unchanged at a low level. The Fed noted that the economy looked solid, but also faced global threats, including the new virus outbreak from China.
EYE ON HOUSING
A solid job market and low mortgage rates helped drive U.S. home sales higher last fall.
However, the inventory of homes for sale is not keeping up with demand. That's one reason economists expect that sales of previously occupied U.S. homes slowed in January from the previous month. The National Association of Realtors issues its latest monthly home sales tally Friday.
Existing home sales, in millions, seasonally adjusted annual rate:
Aug. 5.50
Sept. 5.36
Oct. 5.44
Nov. 5.35
Dec. 5.54
Jan. (est.) 5.50
Source: FactSet
Companies Mentioned in This Article
20 High-Yield Dividend Stocks that Could Ruin Your Retirement Portfolio
Almost everyone loves a company that pays strong dividends. Who doesn't like receiving a check every quarter for simply owning a stock--especially if that stock is paying you back 4%, 5% or even 10% of its share price in annual income each year?. In a world where 10-year treasuries are yielding just above 2%, it seems hard to go wrong when buying a stock that's yielding significantly above the going rates on fixed-income assets. Unfortunately, the market rarely offers a free lunch.
While high-yield stocks may have a lot of near-term attractiveness, those same high-yields can often signal significant danger ahead. In some cases, it might mean that the company's dividend will stop growing or won't grow as fast as it used to. Worse yet, the company could cut its dividend, reduce the income you receive from owning the stock and drive down the value of the shares that you own.
4%-plus yields might seem like an easy opportunity to boost the investment income you receive, but high-yield stocks can just as often be a track reading to snare unsuspecting investors. It's not always easy to tell the difference though.
This slideshow highlights 10 high-yield dividend stocks that are paying an unsustainably large percentage of their earnings in the form of a dividend. These companies are all paying out more than 100% of their earnings per share in the form of a dividend, a sign that the advertised high-yield probably won't last.
View the "20 High-Yield Dividend Stocks that Could Ruin Your Retirement Portfolio".
