The Week Ahead
September 14, 2026
Economic news
Fed Rate Decision
The big event next week is the Fed’s next decision on interest rates, set to be announced after the Federal Reserves’ FOMC meeting September 15th and 16th.1 Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, along with the FOMC, face a tough dilemma. Inflation remains higher than what is desired, but upping rates too high could reduce business investment and consumer spending. Much of the higher prices right now might pertain to energy prices, which are largely influenced by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East over which the Fed has little to no control.
Housing Starts
Housing starts are a useful snapshot of the health of the U.S. economy because they measure how many new homes builders have begun constructing. U.S. Housing starts were down 12.4% month over month in July.2 Whether this indicates a larger trend of slowing housing remains to be seen. No doubt economists will be watching closely to see if this downturn continued in August.
Earnings Related Market Movers
Dave & Buster’s (PLAY)
Down 52% year to date, Dave & Buster’s has had a tough run recently. The trend continued in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, with revenue declining 1.5% year-over-year to $559.2 million. More concerning was comparable store sales, which decreased 5.4% compared to fiscal 2025.3
Perhaps the most painful spot for Dave & Buster’s was net income, which declined to $5.7 million in the fiscal first quarter of 2026, compared to income of $21.7 million in 2025. This decline in net income led to earnings of $0.16 per diluted share in fiscal 2026, versus $0.62 per diluted share in fiscal 2025.
A sharp, 79% decrease in earnings comes in conjunction with a struggle to increase top line growth over the past two years.4 Investors will likely be looking to see some sort of momentum if the stock trend is going to change.
Lennar Corporation (LEN)
Lennar Corporation, the second largest home construction company in the United States, has seen weaker results recently. Down 25% year to date, the construction titan saw new orders for homes decrease 4% in its most recent quarter to 21,749, while total revenues declined by 5.2%.5 However, Lennar noted in its previous earnings release that it also has a backlog of 16,818 homes worth $6.6 billion, while deliveries increased 2% on a year-over-year basis.
Lennar enters the week with investors focused on the housing market’s stubborn affordability pressures, along with housing starts. In its second quarter results, the homebuilder reported $7.9 billion in revenue and 20,519 home deliveries, up 2% from a year earlier, even as new orders fell 4%.
Looking ahead, Lennar expects third-quarter deliveries of roughly 20,500 to 21,500 homes, with gross margins improving to about 16%. The company also moderated its full-year 2026 delivery target to approximately 82,000–83,000 homes, making housing demand and mortgage rates key areas to watch.
1 https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/interest-rate
2 https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/housing-starts
3 https://ir.daveandbusters.com/static-files/8f497b01-3329-460b-9546-391cc3569948
4 https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/play/financials?mod=mw_quote_tab
5 https://investors.lennar.com/press-releases/2026/06-11-2026-214520364
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