Hello friends and Fortune readers.
This week brings a fresh look at the state of the U.S. labor market as well as a major step in the 2016 race for the White House. Investors will also be able to parse through another round of corporate earnings, with several large retailers and one-half of the former Hewlett-Packard all reporting quarterly numbers this week. But, first, ABC hosts what is typically the most-watched award show of the year when the Academy Awards air Sunday night following more than a month of controversy.
Here’s what you need to know for the week ahead.
1. February jobs
The calendar’s shift to March this week means that Friday will bring the latest round of monthly employment data. The Labor Department is expected to report that U.S. employers added 190,000 positions in February after a 151,000-job increase in the first month of the year. The latest gains would keep the unemployment rate steady at 4.9%. Meanwhile, investors this week will also have their eyes on economic data that is likely to show an increase in construction spending in January and that the trade deficit widened slightly. The data follows a week that saw U.S. stocks end with weekly gains despite mixed results on Friday, when oil prices dipped again.
2. Super Tuesday
This is a big week for the seven remaining presidential candidates across the GOP and Democratic parties. Tuesday brings primary elections and caucuses in more states--with more delegates up for grabs--than on any other day in the election cycle. Half of the delegates needed to win the Republican nomination will be on the table as voting takes place in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia.
3. Retail earnings
Costco Wholesale is expected to post second-quarter profit and sales that fall just short of Wall Street’s forecasts on Wednesday. The warehouse club retailer’s sales flagged last month amid lower grocery prices and the strong U.S. dollar, with more than a quarter of the company’s revenue coming from overseas. Another retailer facing the crunch of lower grocery prices is supermarket chain operator Kroger , which nonetheless likely fared well in the fourth quarter due to increased market share in places like Chicago as well as rival Walmart’s decision to close more than 260 locations. Meanwhile, teen apparel retailer Abercrombie & Fitch will likely post its 12th-straight quarter of declining sales when it reports fourth-quarter results on Wednesday. Like other apparel retailers, the company was hurt by unseasonably warm weather over the holiday season.