- Iran war news, Fed rate decision, FOMC dot-plot, Powell news conference will be in focus this week.
- Nvidia is a buy as its annual GTC conference kicks off.
- Lululemon faces a reckoning with weak earnings and deepening boardroom drama.
U.S. stocks ended lower on Friday, while oil prices extended their gains to above $100 per barrel as investors awaited further developments in the Iran war.
Source: Investing.com
All the major indexes posted steep weekly declines, with the 30-stock falling 2%, the dropping 1.6%, while the tech-heavy lost 1.3%, and the small-cap shed 1.8%.
The coming week will once again revolve around developments in the Middle East and oil prices as the conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran shows no signs of diminishing. Late Friday, the U.S. attacked military targets on Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil export hub.
Besides geopolitical worries, the next Fed FOMC meeting concludes on Wednesday. The U.S. central bank is widely expected to hold interest rates steady for a second straight meeting. Along with its policy update, the FOMC will release new dot-plot projections for interest rates, unemployment and inflation. Post-meeting comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whose term ends in May, could also move markets.
Source: Investing.com
Other noteworthy economic readings in the week ahead include February’s Producer Price Index report Wednesday and new homes sales data Thursday.
And while the earnings season is all but over, a few notable companies will report in the coming week. These include FedEx, Micron, , Dollar Tree, Macy’s, Five Below, Alibaba, and Tencent.
Regardless of which direction the market goes, below I highlight one stock likely to be in demand and another which could see fresh downside. Remember though, my timeframe is just for the week ahead, Monday, March 16 – March 20.
Stock to Buy: Nvidia
’s GTC 2026, running from Monday to Thursday in San Jose, California, is set to be a pivotal event for the company and the broader AI industry. CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote speech will likely set the tone, with announcements focused on next-generation AI hardware, agentic AI models, software advancements, and strategic partnerships.
Nvidia’s GTC events have historically been a positive catalyst for the company’s stock performance, with shares outpacing the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index in the week around GTC over the past five years.
With AI demand still accelerating across industries, strong announcements at GTC could reaffirm Nvidia’s growth trajectory and justify its premium valuation. Investors should watch for partnerships with major tech firms, performance benchmarks for new chips, and guidance updates during the conference.
There’s also buzz around a potential debut of NemoClaw, an open-source platform for building AI agents, aligning with Nvidia’s push into “agentic” AI systems that can reason and act autonomously.
Source: Investing.com
NVDA stock ended Friday’s session at $180.25, earning the Santa Clara, California-based AI giant a market cap of $4.38 trillion. Shares are down 3.3% since the start of the year.
With Nvidia already the world’s most valuable company, new product reveals and breakthroughs could drive further upside, especially as AI adoption accelerates across industries like healthcare, robotics, and autonomous vehicles.
Trade Setup:
- Entry: Around current levels (~$180)
- Exit Target: $194.20 (gain ~7.8%)
- Stop-Loss: $170 (risk ~5.5%)
Stock To Sell: Lululemon
Lululemon is set to report earnings this week, and the outlook appears challenging. The yoga wear retailer is facing several headwinds, including slowing consumer spending on discretionary items, increased competition in the athletic apparel space, and inventory management issues.
The company is slated to release its financial results for the fourth quarter at 4:05PM ET on Tuesday. With implied volatility pointing to a massive +/-12% stock move post-earnings, the risk of a miss looms large.
While estimates have been reduced from previous levels, the potential exists for results and guidance that fall short even of lowered expectations.
Source: InvestingPro
Wall Street sees Lululemon reporting adjusted earnings of $4.79 per share, declining 22% from a year earlier. Revenue is forecast to shrink 0.8% to $3.58 billion, reflecting softer demand in key markets like North America and China amid intensified competition from other activewear brands, like Nike, Adidas, and Alo Yoga.
The setup into earnings is unfavorable, with channel checks, industry data, and management’s own recent commentary suggesting results that disappoint and guidance that fails to inspire confidence.
Looking ahead, FY2026 outlook appears bleak amid ongoing challenges like a CEO search, boardroom tensions from founder Chip Wilson, and a product reset aiming for 35% new styles by spring.
Source: Investing.com
LULU is hovering just above its 52-week low ($156.64). The stock has already tumbled 19% year-to-date in 2026, but the downbeat earnings and weak forward guidance could trigger further downside.
Trade Setup:
- Entry: Around current levels ($158)
- Exit Target: $147.46 (gain ~7%)
- Stop-Loss: $166.82 (risk ~5.5%)
Be sure to check out InvestingPro to stay in sync with the market trend and what it means for your trading. Below are the key ways an InvestingPro subscription can enhance your stock market investing performance:
- ProPicks AI: AI-selected stock winners with proven track record.
- InvestingPro Fair Value: Instantly find out if a stock is underpriced or overvalued.
- Advanced Stock Screener: Search for the best stocks based on hundreds of selected filters, and criteria.
- Top Ideas: See what stocks billionaire investors such as Warren Buffett, Michael Burry, and George Soros are buying.
Disclosure: This is not financial advice. Always conduct your own research.
At the time of writing, I am long on the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq 100 via the SPDR® S&P 500 ETF, and the Invesco QQQ Trust ETF. I am also long on the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF. I regularly rebalance my portfolio of individual stocks and ETFs based on ongoing risk assessment of both the macroeconomic environment and companies’ financials.
The views discussed in this article are solely the opinion of the author and should not be taken as investment advice.
Follow Jesse Cohen on X/Twitter @JesseCohenInv for more stock market analysis and insight.