Today’s video is your guide to the retail industry and a few key earnings reports this week. These four reports will likely be closely watched by investors given that the retail ETF (XRT) has really struggled in the past month, and is testing a double digit loss in the time frame. This sluggish trend is largely thanks to the threat of online competition, as well as changing consumer tastes. In general, investors are starting to worry about the long term health of a number of retail companies, putting the pressure on this earnings report in particular. First up is Home Depot (HD), a company that has survived the online trends pretty well over the past few years. We take a look at this stock’s incredible history in earnings season, and discuss its prospects for its report on Tuesday. We also have Target (TGT) in focus. This company was recently upgraded to hold territory from ‘sell’, but a boycott of the company’s stores is likely to weigh on shares in the near term. Any commentary about this issue—which is already starting to have an impact on the stock price—looks to be the focus this earnings season. Next up is the retail behemoth of Wal-Mart (WMT) which reports before the bell on Thursday. This retailing giant has been in trouble thanks to rising cost pressure, and we take a look at recent analyst estimates in this stock and how this could set up the short-term future for Wal-Mart shares. And finally, Gap (GPS) gives their quarterly report as well. This company has tumbled along with the rest of the apparel-retail market, and analysts have been racing to slash estimates. We take a look at the rough trend and discuss if there is much hope for this company at its report on Thursday after the bell. Make sure to watch our short video for a more in-depth discussion of these companies, and which are looking the most (and least) promising this earnings season! Want more insights from Zacks? See our latest free report 5 Stocks to Double. Click here to receive this free report now >>>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report GAP INC (GPS): Free Stock Analysis Report WAL-MART STORES (WMT): Free Stock Analysis Report TARGET CORP (TGT): Free Stock Analysis Report SPDR-SP RET ETF (XRT): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research