The stock market is finally waking up from its New Year's slumber. If you felt like the last two weeks were just a warm-up, you were right. This is the week where the rubber meets the road.
We’ve got a massive lineup of heavy hitters coming at us. Tech giants, airline behemoths, and the banks that basically keep the gears of the world turning are all dropping their numbers. Honestly, it’s a lot to keep track of, especially with the U.S. markets being closed this Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That just means Tuesday is going to be absolute chaos in the best way possible.
If you’re wondering what companies report earnings this week, you’re looking at a list that ranges from the streaming king Netflix to the chip-making veteran Intel. We’re even seeing some big moves from GE Aerospace and Johnson & Johnson. It’s a busy one.
The Tuesday Rush: Netflix and the Streaming Wars
Once the opening bell rings on Tuesday morning, January 20, the floodgates open. 3M (MMM) and D.R. Horton (DHI) are the early birds. D.R. Horton is particularly interesting because they give us a pulse check on the housing market—basically telling us if people are actually still buying homes with rates where they are.
But the real show starts after the closing bell.
Netflix (NFLX) is the one everyone is whispering about. Wall Street expects them to pull in about $0.55 per share. That’s a nearly 28% jump from last year. They’ve been aggressively moving into ad-supported tiers and cracking down on password sharing, and investors want to see if that momentum is holding. Plus, there’s a lot of chatter about them potentially looking to buy Warner Brothers Discovery. If they even hint at a merger or a big acquisition during the call, expect the stock to go wild.
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United Airlines (UAL) also drops on Tuesday afternoon. Their rival Delta already reported, and honestly, it wasn't great. They had a weak profit outlook that dragged the whole sector down. United has a chance to either save the reputation of the airlines or confirm that travel demand is finally cooling off.
Mid-Week Heavyweights: J&J and the Financial Pulse
Wednesday, January 21, shifts the focus toward healthcare and the broader economy.
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is the main event in the morning. They are usually a "safe" bet, but in this market, nothing is truly safe. Analysts are looking for $2.49 per share. Because they touch everything from medical devices to pharmaceuticals, their report is a huge indicator of how much hospitals are spending.
We also get a look at Charles Schwab (SCHW). After the banking scares of the last couple of years, people watch Schwab like a hawk to see how much cash is sitting in accounts and how much is being moved into higher-yield investments. It’s sort of a proxy for how confident the average retail investor is feeling right now.
Other notable names on Wednesday:
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- Prologis (PLD): These are the people who own the warehouses that Amazon uses. If they’re doing well, it means e-commerce is still humming.
- Travelers (TRV): Insurance might be boring, but their earnings tell us a lot about how much inflation is hitting the cost of repairs and claims.
- Halliburton (HAL): A big day for energy. With oil prices bouncing around, Halliburton’s outlook for drilling and fracking is a crystal ball for the energy sector.
Thursday: The Battle of the Titans
Thursday, January 22, is arguably the biggest day of the week. You’ve got Procter & Gamble (PG) in the morning. They sell everything from Tide to Gillette. If they’re raising prices and people are still buying, then the consumer is healthy. If they start seeing people trade down to generic brands, we’ve got a problem.
Then there’s GE Aerospace (GE). This was one of the absolute best-performing stocks of 2025. They’ve been on a tear, up nearly 86% last year. They are the gold standard for industrial growth right now, and the market is expecting them to report earnings of $1.44 per share.
But wait, there’s more. After the bell on Thursday, Intel (INTC) steps up to the plate.
Intel is in a weird spot. Their stock has been surging lately—up about 90% since the government and even Nvidia started pouring money into them. But the actual numbers might be messy. Analysts are expecting earnings to drop to about 8 cents per share, which is a 38% decrease from a year ago. It’s a classic case of the stock price trading on "vibes" and future potential rather than current profit.
Closing out the Week
Friday, January 23, is usually the "cool down" day, but we still have SLB (formerly Schlumberger) and American Express (AXP) lurking. American Express is the ultimate "rich person" indicator. If their cardholders are still spending on luxury travel and dining, it shows that the top end of the economy is totally fine, even if the rest of us are feeling the pinch at the grocery store.
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What You Should Actually Do With This Information
Knowing what companies report earnings this week is only half the battle. The other half is knowing how to play it.
First, don't chase the "beat." A company can beat its earnings expectations and still see its stock price tank because the "guidance" (what they think they'll do in the future) was bad.
Second, watch the sectors, not just the stocks. If United Airlines misses, it might drag down Boeing or Expedia. If Intel misses but says AI demand is "insane," it might actually help Nvidia or AMD.
Actionable Steps for the Week:
- Check your exposure: If you own an S&P 500 index fund, you already own all these companies. Expect some volatility in your portfolio around 4:00 PM ET on Tuesday and Thursday.
- Listen to the "tone": You don't have to be a math genius to understand an earnings call. Listen to the CEO. Do they sound confident, or are they using a lot of "cautious" and "uncertain" language?
- Watch the PCE data: On top of earnings, the government is releasing PCE inflation data this week. If that comes in hot, it doesn't matter how good Netflix's earnings are—the whole market might pull back on fears of interest rate hikes.
This week is going to be a wild ride. Keep your eyes on the tech reports and the consumer spending commentary, as those will set the tone for the rest of the winter.
Next, you might want to look at the specific analyst price targets for Netflix and Intel to see if the current "buy" ratings match the actual earnings potential.