Week ahead, April 13–17, 2026: JPM consensus EPS $5.46, PPI, monthly OPEX converge

NEW YORK, April 12, 2026 — Wall Street enters one of the most data-saturated weeks of the year with six major bank earnings reports, a critical producer-price inflation print, and the April monthly options expiration all compressed into a four-day window. The Q1 2026 earnings season shifts into high gear on Monday when Goldman Sachs opens the bank reporting cycle, before a stacked Tuesday delivers JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Johnson & Johnson, and BlackRock simultaneously with the March Producer Price Index at 8:30 a.m. ET. Netflix and PepsiCo report Thursday, and Friday’s monthly OPEX has the potential to amplify intraday volatility across a market still recalibrating after a geopolitically turbulent first quarter.

Against the backdrop of a ceasefire that halted the US-Iran conflict in early April, equity markets staged a significant recovery. As PreMarket Daily reported, the Friday roundup of April 10 noted that the ceasefire held, CPI landed, and Q1 earnings season begins in earnest — with JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, and Netflix at the centre of the coming week’s action. The first piece of that picture — March CPI — has already been digested by markets. Now comes the producer side of the inflation ledger, guidance from the nation’s most systemically important lenders, and the streaming giant’s first earnings report of the year.

Earnings to watch

Monday, April 13

Goldman Sachs (GS) — Before market open. Goldman opens the bank earnings week in pole position. According to Alphastreet’s bank earnings preview, Goldman Sachs is expected to report revenue of $16.9 billion for Q1 2026, implying growth of approximately 12% from the prior-year quarter, with consensus EPS of $16.35 — a projected 16% year-over-year increase. Analysts will watch the investment banking and trading revenue lines closely for confirmation that the M&A and IPO recovery is tracking expectations.

Tuesday, April 14 — “Super Tuesday” for financials

Tuesday is the single most consequential day of the week, with four major financial institutions and one healthcare bellwether all reporting before the open, alongside the March PPI release.

JPMorgan Chase (JPM) — Before market open. The headline number of the week: Yahoo Finance / Zacks data show JPMorgan is expected to report Q1 EPS of $5.46, representing a year-over-year increase of 7.7%, on projected revenues of $48.56 billion, up 7.2% year-over-year. JPM has beaten the consensus EPS estimate in each of the last four quarters, including a +6.30% surprise in Q4 2025 when it printed $5.23 against an expectation of $4.92. Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon’s commentary on credit quality, net interest income trajectory, and the macro outlook will be watched as closely as the numbers themselves. As the opening bell recap of April 10 noted, the earnings season is being treated as a referendum on whether the economy can sustain momentum post-ceasefire.

Citigroup (C) — Before market open. Citigroup is slated to report Q1 2026 results on April 14 before the open, with the Zacks consensus EPS estimate revised upward to $2.64 — implying a 34.7% year-over-year increase — on projected revenues of $23.71 billion, a 9.8% rise from the prior year. Citigroup’s transformation narrative under CEO Jane Fraser remains a key investor focus, with market revenues consensus pegged at $6.9 billion, suggesting a 16% year-over-year rise.

Wells Fargo (WFC) — Before market open. Analysts are projecting Q1 2026 revenue of $21.79 billion for Wells Fargo, an 8% rise year-over-year, with consensus EPS of $1.58, implying nearly 14% growth from the prior-year period. Investors continue to monitor the status of the Federal Reserve’s long-standing asset cap on the bank, which constrains loan growth relative to peers.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) — Before market open. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for JNJ’s Q1 2026 sales and earnings is pegged at $23.44 billion and $2.68 per share, respectively, with EPS down 3.25% year-over-year due to Stelara biosimilar headwinds, while revenues are expected to rise 7.1%. J&J has exceeded earnings expectations in each of the trailing four quarters and carries a Zacks Earnings ESP of +3.26%, which signals a likely positive surprise.

BlackRock (BLK) — Before market open. The world’s largest asset manager is expected to post Q1 EPS of approximately $12.09–$12.40 on revenue of roughly $6.6 billion, according to consensus estimates compiled by Benzinga and other sources. In Q4 2025, BlackRock reported $13.16 EPS, beating the prior consensus of $12.55 by $0.61, with revenue up 23.4% year-over-year. Total assets under management consensus sits at approximately $14.21 trillion.

Wednesday, April 15

Morgan Stanley (MS) — Before market open. Morgan Stanley is expected to report Q1 2026 revenue of $19.7 billion, implying 11% year-over-year growth, with consensus EPS of $3.01, a 16% increase from Q1 2025. The firm’s wealth management and investment banking franchises are the key revenue drivers to watch.

Bank of America (BAC) — Before market open. Analysts are forecasting Q1 2026 revenue of $29.96 billion for Bank of America, indicating 9% year-over-year growth, with consensus EPS of $1.01, up 12% from Q1 2025. BAC’s net interest income trajectory and equities trading revenue will be the primary focal points following a strong Q4 2025, in which NII rose 9.7% to $15.92 billion.

Also reporting Wednesday: J.B. Hunt Transport Services (JBHT), PNC Financial Services (PNC), M&T Bank (MTB), and Progressive (PGR).

Thursday, April 16

Netflix (NFLX) — After market close. Netflix reports Q1 2026 earnings after the bell on Thursday, with the Street consensus EPS at $0.76 and quarterly revenue estimated at $12.17 billion. The consensus EPS of $0.76 represents a 15.2% increase from the $0.66 per share reported in Q1 2025. Netflix set its own Q1 guidance at $0.76 EPS. Subscriber growth, advertising momentum, and any updates to capital allocation priorities — including share buybacks and content spending — will be closely watched. Netflix carries a ‘Strong Buy’ consensus rating from analysts, with 31 buy ratings and zero sells as of early April.

PepsiCo (PEP) — Before market open. PepsiCo will release Q1 2026 results at 6:00 a.m. EDT on Thursday, April 16, for the period ending March 21, with an analyst Q&A at 8:15 a.m. EDT. Consensus calls for EPS of approximately $1.55, up roughly 4.3% year-over-year, on revenue of approximately $18.93 billion, about 5.6% higher. The key metric to watch is Frito-Lay North America organic volume growth — management has explicitly guided for volume, revenue, and margin expansion in 2026.

Also reporting Thursday before the open: Abbott Laboratories (ABT), Charles Schwab (SCHW), BNY Mellon (BK), U.S. Bancorp (USB), KeyCorp (KEY), Prologis (PLD), Travelers Companies (TRV), Marsh & McLennan (MMC), and Citizens Financial Group (CFG). Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) also reports Thursday morning — TSM’s record $35.7 billion Q1 revenue in its preliminary release already provided a powerful AI-demand signal, and Thursday’s full earnings call is expected to provide guidance detail.

Friday, April 17

Smaller regional banks report Friday morning, including Ally Financial (ALLY), Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB), Regions Financial (RF), State Street (STT), and Truist Financial (TFC).

Economic calendar highlights

Monday, April 13 — Existing Home Sales (March), 10:00 a.m. ET

The week opens with Existing Home Sales for March, which will be parsed for evidence of how the first quarter’s energy price surge and persistent mortgage rates affected housing transaction volumes. Housing activity remains a key barometer of consumer confidence and credit conditions.

Tuesday, April 14 — March PPI, 8:30 a.m. ET

The week’s marquee macro release is the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index for March 2026, scheduled at 8:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, April 14. The February PPI was a significant upside shock: final demand rose 0.7% month-over-month, well above the consensus expectation of +0.3%, lifting the 12-month rate to 3.4% — the highest in a year. Core PPI (excluding food and energy) rose 0.5% in February and 3.9% year-over-year. The March print lands against a backdrop of elevated energy prices and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, making it a critical upstream inflation signal for the Federal Reserve. A hot print would add to the hawkish narrative established in the FOMC minutes of April 9, 2026, in which the vast majority of officials warned inflation was running persistently above target.

Also Tuesday: NFIB Small Business Index (March) at 6:00 a.m. ET and the ADP Weekly Employment Change at 8:15 a.m. ET provide additional reads on small business sentiment and labour market conditions at the start of Q2.

Wednesday, April 15 — Export/Import Price Indices and Empire State Manufacturing (April)

Wednesday brings a trio of data releases. The Export Price Index and Import Price Index for March (both at 8:30 a.m. ET) will illuminate tariff and global supply-chain cost dynamics. The Empire State Manufacturing Index for April at 8:30 a.m. ET and the NAHB Housing Market Index for April at 10:00 a.m. ET round out the session’s data slate.

Thursday, April 16 — Initial Jobless Claims, Philly Fed, Industrial Production

Thursday’s data slate is dense. Initial Jobless Claims for the week ended April 11 print at 8:30 a.m. ET alongside the Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index for April. At 9:15 a.m. ET, the Capacity Utilization and Industrial Production figures for March arrive — key measures of the economy’s operating pace in a quarter defined by the energy shock. The weekly EIA Natural Gas Inventory report prints at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Other market events: Fed speakers, OPEX, and the blackout clock

Federal Reserve: Goolsbee speaks before the blackout

Federal Reserve officials have a narrow window to communicate before the FOMC blackout period begins. The next FOMC meeting is confirmed for April 28–29, 2026, meaning the blackout period begins on Saturday, April 18. Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee is scheduled to participate in a panel discussion at the Semafor World Economy 2026 conference in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, April 14, at 11:15 a.m. CT — the same morning as the PPI release and the bank earnings tsunami. His remarks, particularly any comments on the inflation trajectory or the appropriate pace of monetary policy, will be parsed closely by bond and equity markets. The FOMC next meets April 28–29; no rate change is currently expected at that meeting given the persistence of above-target inflation. As covered in PreMarket Daily’s March CPI analysis, the inflation picture heading into the meeting remains highly elevated.

Monthly options expiration (OPEX) — Friday, April 17

Friday, April 17 is the standard monthly options expiration date for April 2026 — the third Friday of the month. Monthly OPEX events routinely see significantly elevated trading volumes, with options dealers managing gamma exposure as contracts settle. The confluence of monthly expiration with one of the densest earnings weeks of the year — including positions accumulated around JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Netflix, and PepsiCo — elevates the potential for intraday volatility, particularly in the final hours of the Friday session. Options market participants will be monitoring open interest concentration and dealer positioning throughout the week as the expiry approaches.

Broader market context

The week arrives with the S&P 500 having recovered sharply from its early-April lows following the ceasefire announcement. The FactSet Q1 2026 earnings scorecard — with 4% of S&P 500 companies having reported actual results — shows that 80% have beaten EPS estimates and 90% have beaten revenue estimates, providing a constructive early read-through. The S&P 500 is expected to report year-over-year earnings growth of 12.6% for Q1 2026, which, if realised, would mark the sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. The Financials sector is projected to report the third-highest earnings growth of all eleven sectors at 15.1% for the quarter, above the 14.6% expectation at the start of Q1. Investors and market participants will be scrutinising not just the headline numbers but management guidance on the macroeconomic outlook, credit quality, consumer spending trends, and the duration of any ceasefire-driven normalization in energy costs — data points that no economic calendar release can provide as directly as a CEO on an earnings call.