Two themes critical to the U.S. stock market -- the artificial intelligence boom and inflation-pressured consumer spending -- will come under the microscope next week with earnings reports from semiconductor giant Nvidia and a host of retailers led by Walmart .
Stock indexes continued their charge higher this week, with the benchmark S&P 500 and technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite pushing to record levels. Two factors influencing market action in "almost parallel tracks" have been developments with AI and the spike in energy prices caused by the war in Iran, said Allen Bond, portfolio manager at Jensen Investment Management.
