In this episode of Beat the Bell, host Dominique Broadway gives everyday investors a concise preview of a packed economic week. She outlines the key corporate earnings (Walmart, Medtronic, Constellation Energy, Palo Alto Networks, Alibaba, Booking Holdings, DoorDash, eBay) and explains why Walmart’s results serve as a real‑time gauge of U.S. consumer spending, e‑commerce growth, and tariff pressures. Dominique then walks through the Federal Reserve’s January meeting minutes, emphasizing how the Fed’s stance on interest rates impacts mortgages, credit cards, and savings yields. She highlights three major Thursday data releases—December PCE inflation, Q4 GDP advance estimate, and the University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey—showing how each piece fits into the broader picture of inflation and economic momentum. Listeners are prompted to actively track one Walmart metric (comparable store sales, e‑commerce growth, or tariff commentary) via a text prompt, reinforcing an engaged investing mindset. The episode closes with a promotion for a free options‑trading masterclass, aimed at helping viewers move beyond passive index‑fund investing to using options for income or portfolio protection.
Chapters
The market was closed yesterday for President's Day, which means a lot of people took their foot off the gas, but not you, Money Family, not you. Okay. Because you are here right now. And that means that you understand something critical, right? The biggest opportunities come when you're prepared before the week actually unfolds. Welcome to Beat the Bell. I am Dominique Broadway. And if this is your first time here, welcome to the show where we translate Wall Street into language that actually makes sense for your wallet. Wallet, okay? And this week is actually a very packed week. We've got Walmart— yes, the biggest retailer on the planet— reporting earnings tomorrow morning. We're getting the Fed meeting minutes, which is basically the receipts from their last conversation about interest rates, and we're getting fresh data on inflation, GDP, and the housing market. By Friday, we're going to know a whole lot more about where this entire economy is heading. So let's break all of this down. We've got a few names reporting today that you'll want to pay attention to, okay? We got Medtronic, that's a major medical device company. We have Constellation Energy, which is a big electricity and nuclear power player. And then Palo Alto Networks, one of the biggest names in cybersecurity. Now, if you hold any of these or if they're in your index funds, then keep your eyes open, okay? But the real fireworks are going to come tomorrow, so stay with me here, stay with me, okay? So tomorrow, which is Wednesday, is the big day. We are getting earnings from Walmart. Yes, the biggest retailer in America. And this one is personal. Why? You ask? Because Walmart isn't just a stock ticker. No, Walmart is a window into how everyday Americans are actually spending their money. Analysts are expecting Walmart to report earnings around 73 cents per share with revenue near $190 billion. And listen, the stock is up over 85% in the past year, so Wall Street's expectations are clearly very, very high. Okay, so this isn't just about hitting the numbers. This is about what Walmart's management says about, about the consumer, right? About pricing power, about tariffs, and really honestly just about the economy. So here's what you want to listen for when Walmart reports tomorrow's earnings. First, you want to know, are people still shopping, right? Are they trading down to store brands to save, to save money? Um, they also want to know what's happening with e-commerce. Is it still growing double digits? And what, and most importantly, does management say about tariffs? We want to hear about the tariffs because if Walmart starts warning that prices might go up because of the trade policy, then that shows up in your grocery bill and so many other places. We're also watching Alibaba tomorrow. They are China's version of Amazon, right? International consumer spending matters, especially when we're talking about global trade and tariffs. Plus, we've got Booking Holdings reporting tomorrow as well, and that's the parent company of Priceline and Booking.com, which tells us if people are still spending on travel or not. And we're getting DoorDash and eBay earnings too. Okay, let me explain why tomorrow matters beyond just earnings. So tomorrow at 2 PM Eastern Standard Time, The Federal Reserve is releasing the minutes from their January meeting. Okay, the January meeting. So think of the minutes like reading the group chat receipts. All right, what were they really talking about behind the closed doors? The Fed held interest rates steady at their January meeting, no cuts whatsoever. So when these minutes drop tomorrow, we want to understand why they held interest rates, and more importantly, what would it take for them to start cutting rates again? Are they worried inflation is still too high? Are they concerned about terrorists pushing prices up? Like, what are they watching before they make their next move, right? That's what we want to know. And here's why all this matters for you. Interest rates affect everything in your financial life, right? Obviously, we know your mortgage rate, your car payment, your credit card APR, the yield on your savings account. It affects all of this, right? So when the Fed cuts rates, borrowing gets cheaper, right? Which we've seen. When they hold or raise, then things just stay expensive. Okay, so we need to know everything about what they're thinking, and those minutes honestly give us those receipts. Also tomorrow, we're getting January housing starts and building permits data. So these numbers tell us how much construction is actually happening in America. So if there's a strong housing start, that's a really good economic sign. Weak numbers, that tells us that high interest rates are still putting pressure on builders and on buyers. Okay, now Thursday is huge for economic data. We're getting 3 major releases that paint a picture of the entire economy. Okay, so first we have the December PCE prices. Now PCE stands for personal consumption expenditures, and this is the Fed's favorite inflation measure. All right, so more important than CPI for understanding what the Fed will do next. If PCE comes in hot, then rate cuts can— will probably get pushed back. Okay, if it comes in super, super cool, then that opens the door for some relief. Next, we have the Q4 GDP advance estimate. So GDP is the total value of everything produced in America. It tells us if the economy is growing, shrinking, staying flat, things like that, right? So strong GDP— can't say it today— GDP means the economy can handle higher rates for longer. If there's a weak GDP, that puts pressure on the Fed to actually start the cutting. Third, we have the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment final reading for February. This survey tells us how confident Americans feel about the economy and their own personal finances, and it includes inflation expectations as well, which is what people think will happen with prices. Okay, so if people expect high inflation, they can become— that can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. So here's what I want you to do this week My Money Friends. Okay, when Walmart reports tomorrow morning, I want you to pick one thing to track. You can choose Option A, which is comparable store sales. Are people shopping more at Walmart? Or Option B, which is e-commerce growth, right? Is Walmart's online business still exploding? Option C is what management says about tariffs. Will prices go up? Text me your pick, 202-217-1035. So text me, text the word Walmart and then text A, B, or C. Okay, and this is how we practice being active, engaged investors, not just passive of people hoping things work out, but actually being involved. Okay, so before I let you go, here are 3 things to watch this week. To recap, number 1, Walmart earnings happening tomorrow. Okay, this is your consumer health report. Listen for what they say about spending, prices, e-commerce growth, and tariffs as well. Number 2, the Fed minutes happening tomorrow afternoon. We want to know if rate cuts are coming this year, if they're going to stay the same, or if inflation fears and tariff uncertainty are pushing that timeline further, further, further, further back. Number 3, Thursday's economic triple header, which is the PCE inflation, GDP, and consumer sentiment. These 3 releases together paint the full economic picture. Okay, so before I go, I need to tell you about something I am so, so, so excited about. A lot of you have been asking me, Dominique, how do I actually start trading stock options? How does it work, right? Is it too risky for me? Can I actually really do this? And the answer is yes. And I hear you, right? Which is why I'm hosting a completely free masterclass on how to start trading stock options. I'm going to break it all the way down for you, okay? No jargon, no confusion, uh, just real practical knowledge about one of the most honestly powerful tools available to everyday investors that originally wasn't available to everyone. So this masterclass is designed specifically for you, people who are ready to go maybe just beyond holding index funds and actually want to understand how options can generate income or even protect your portfolio. And did I also mention that it's free, right? It's free. So I will drop the link in the show notes for you, or you can go straight to optionschallenge.com to register. Do not sleep on this, y'all. You do not want to miss it. All right, so until then, stay informed, stay invested, and I will see you hopefully in the Options Masterclass.
