This Week in Retail: Trump addresses Congress, Target and Costco report earnings

Companies looking for clarity on the tariff situation—and other pressing political threats—may want to tune into President Donald Trump’s first address before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. Typically the address is a way for the president to lay out their plans, and in particular their legislative agenda, for the coming years—though if the past few weeks of executive orders, legal challenges, and retractions are any gauge, it’s an open question if the address will clarify or confuse.

Here’s what else is going on in retail this week:

In earnings: Some heavy-hitters are reporting earnings this week in the retail space, starting with Target, Best Buy, and Ross Stores on Tuesday and finishing up with Costco on Thursday. Target’s results are coming nearly two weeks after rival Walmart released its Q4 earnings, which included a more conservative sales guidance for the year. Still, Wall Street is feeling positive about Target, with JPMorgan analysts boosting its price target last week, marking a shift in sentiment since Q3 when the company cut its own profit guidance. Costco, meanwhile, is coming off a strong quarter, in which net sales increased 7.5% from the year before. Chair Tony James was also bullish about the company in a recent interview with Chief Executive magazine, highlighting that Costco appeals to wealthy shoppers.

In shows: The 119th Toy Fair, which promotes itself as “the largest toy show in the Western Hemisphere,” kicked off on Saturday in New York City and is running through Tuesday. The trade show features hundreds of thousands of toys, which attendees can test firsthand before they hit shelves.

In gatherings: The National Retail Federation is hosting its annual Retail Law Summit to discuss some of the legal challenges facing the industry. The trade group encourages in-house attorneys, risk and compliance officers, legal counsels, and HR professionals to attend.