• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Exclusive

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

FeaturesFive Things

The handbag faceoff and factory data — five things to watch for in the week ahead

By
Laura Lorenzetti
Laura Lorenzetti
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Laura Lorenzetti
Laura Lorenzetti
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 3, 2014, 6:00 PM ET
Photo by Robert Marquardt—Getty Images

Hello, friends and Fortune readers.

The IPO market hit an almost 14-year high last week as 25 companies were scheduled to go public. Of the companies that followed through on their public offerings over the course of five days, the two biggest–biotech firm Catalent and Synchrony Financial, General Electric’s now former consumer credit arm–raised a combined $3.75 billion.

Public listings are taking a breather this coming week. Also this week, the earnings wave continues. Keep your eyes out for Disney’s numbers on Tuesday to see the residual effects of its hit movie Frozen, as well as how the theme parks have faired since a recent price increase.

Here’s what else you need to know for your week ahead.

1. The handbag faceoff.

Coach, Michael Kors and Kate Spade have been battling it out to gain an advantage in the luxury handbag market. Kors, which started in 2002, has made fast progress with nearly 89% consumer name recognition. It is the first to report earnings on Monday and is expected to bring in $851 million in sales with earnings of 81 cents a share.

Coach, the 800-pound gorilla in the market, has struggled this quarter, laying off workers and telling analysts that this year may be slower than expected. Still, the company is expecting to notch $1.1 billion in sales and earnings-per-share of 51 cents when it reports Tuesday.

Kate Spade, a much smaller player in the market, will report on Friday. Analysts estimate earnings-per-share losses of 1 cent on $237 million in sales.

2. All about manufacturing.

This week’s economic announcements are all about manufacturing and wholesale. After stellar 4% second-quarter GDP growth, economists will be looking to see how U.S. manufacturing is fairing and if the booming economic growth will continue throughout the year.

First up is the ISM report on Tuesday: Analysts expect a reading of 56 (any number above 50 represents expansion in the industry). Also on Tuesday, watch out for Factory orders, which are estimated to grow by 0.6% ahead of the valuable holiday shopping season. The week will end with reports on productivity and wholesale orders on Friday morning.

3. Samsung Galaxy Alpha announcement.

It looks like Samsung may be taking the tech spotlight on Monday as it finally unveils its new Galaxy Alpha phone, according to reports by insider-rag SamMobile.

Much has been leaked about the phone, which is supposed to forsake the traditional plastic body for a sleeker metallic construction. The phone is Samsung’s mid-range model and will feature a 4.8-inch 720p display, a fingerprint scanner and 32 gigabytes of storage.

AllAboutSamsung notes that the announcement, the date of which has been top secret, could be pushed out to Aug. 13.

4. Playing for profits.

Gaming companies Activision Blizzard and Zynga will reveal their second-quarter performance this week in the wake of mediocre results from Nintendo, which has struggled to kindle interest in its Wii U console.

Activision, maker of Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, is expected to bring in 22 cents a share profit on $607.6 million in sales when it reports Tuesday. The quarter looks less rosy for mobile-game maker Zynga, set to report on Thursday, which is estimated to lose 7 cents a share on $161 million in sales.

5. Nothing spells profits quite like Andy Warhol.

While other sectors of the economy have struggled to pick up steam, the auction market has notched a decent year so far. Exactly how good will be seen on Friday when Sotheby’s announces its earnings. Profits are estimated to be $1.31 a share on $345.7 million in sales. The premier auction house brought in more than $200 million in a June sale of works by Claude Monet, Piet Mondrian and others.

Sotheby’s has also unveiled a new pact with eBay this month to start hosting live New York auctions together, giving Sotheby’s access to the online retailers 145 million active buyers. The companies are giving the partnership another go after a failed 2003 effort and say, this time, the timing is right.

About the Author
By Laura Lorenzetti
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Features

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Features

Anduril CEO Brian Schimpf
MagazineDefense
Inside Anduril: Meet the quiet engineer-CEO building America’s $31 billion weapons startup
By Allie GarfinkleMay 6, 2026
12 days ago
A Michigan farm town voted down plans for a giant OpenAI-Oracle data center. Weeks later, construction began
MagazineData centers
A Michigan farm town voted down plans for a giant OpenAI-Oracle data center. Weeks later, construction began
By Sharon GoldmanMay 6, 2026
12 days ago
The American Express CEO defied haters who said he’d never have the top job—winning with millennials and Gen Z and trouncing the competition
MagazineAmerican Express
The American Express CEO defied haters who said he’d never have the top job—winning with millennials and Gen Z and trouncing the competition
By Shawn TullyMay 6, 2026
12 days ago
Photo of Marc Benioff
Magazinecommunication
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff turned his earnings call into a vodcast. Why other Fortune 500 CEOs might follow
By Rachel VentrescaMay 6, 2026
12 days ago
Intel Chief Exec, Lip-Bu Tan, on stage
EuropeIntel
Intel’s share price just blew the doors off. One man thinks he knows the reason why
By Kamal AhmedApril 27, 2026
21 days ago
Who owns ideas in the AI age?
MagazinePublishing
Who owns ideas in the AI age?
By Francesca CassidyApril 8, 2026
1 month ago

Most Popular

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
AI
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
2 days ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
5 days ago
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
Economy
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
By Jason MaMay 17, 2026
14 hours ago
'No one was coming to save me': How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn't fix
Success
'No one was coming to save me': How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn't fix
By Sydney LakeMay 17, 2026
20 hours ago
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
Politics
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
Innovation
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.