Fast Money Blog- 8/21/26

Historically, August is a slow month on Wall Street as major institutions take a summer pause before ramping up in September. This week we saw the major indexes dip due to escalating geopolitical strain and rising bond yields. We also got earnings releases from Home Depot and Walmart.  

On Thursday, August 20th, The Home Depot, Inc. (HD) announced their Q3 2026 earnings with top-line revenue of $47.9 billion, up 6% year-over-year. The company said this was due in part to the continued demand from customers engaging in small home projects.

Although economic uncertainty and high mortgage rates continue to be a challenge for the home improvement sector as a whole, this news was a relief for Home Depot, as US same-store sales jumped 1.3% in the quarter year-over-year and ticket sizes of over $1,000 were up 2.4% year over year.

Looking forward, the company still expects total sales to grow between 2.5% to 4.5% for the year

Once again, if your goal is long-term wealth, continue to hold shares of HD for the next 2 to 5 years. 

Now Onto Walmart

In other news, on Thursday, May 21st, Walmart, Inc. (WMT) released its Q2 2026 earnings report with top-line revenue of $187.9 billion, up 6% year-over-year.

Here’s a closer look at Walmart’s earnings breakdown:

• E-commerce sales in the U.S were up 23%,

• Companywide membership fee revenue jumped 17%

• Global advertising revenue climbed 38%

The company also increased its forward guidance in response to Q2 results. 

Nonetheless, WMT stock dipped as investors responded negatively to the fact that US same-store sales grew by only 2.6%. This was the slowest pace of US same-store sales growth since Q4 of 2020.

As far as WMT stock is concerned, I think it’s too soon to tell if this is just a knee-jerk reaction to one piece of disappointing news, as companies in many sectors are seeing slower consumer spending due to overall inflation and high gas prices. 

I expect volatility to increase in the stock market after September 11th. 

Stay open and stay positive!

Tyrone Jackson

The Wealthy Investor