Stock market week September 21, 2026: Costco, Meta and expected Trump-Xi talks
Costco earnings, Meta Connect and an expected Trump-Xi meeting headline a week concentrated around Thursday’s data and corporate events.
By Amanda Ross · Deals Correspondent
· 3 min read
The stock market week September 21, 2026 centres on three scheduled catalysts: Costco’s fourth-quarter earnings, Meta Platforms’ Connect conference and an expected meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Thursday concentrates the calendar, with US jobless-claims and new-home-sales data due before Costco reports after the market closes, according to CNBC and Costco’s investor-relations calendar.
None of the events had occurred at the time of the previews, so their market effects and any decisions or announcements remain unknown.
What are investors watching in the stock market this week?
CNBC identified Costco, Meta Connect and the expected Trump-Xi talks as the principal focal points for September 21 through 25. The events span consumer spending, technology investment and US-China economic relations, with the heaviest schedule falling on September 24.
Costco’s fourth-quarter report
Costco is scheduled to hold its Q4 2026 earnings call on Thursday, September 24. CNBC said consensus expectations before the report were for earnings per share of $6.53 and sales of $94.8 billion. Those are market estimates rather than reported figures.
CNBC said attention would include profit, membership growth and retention trends, as well as whether the retailer announces a special dividend. The outlet cited Bank of America analysts who expected any such announcement could come within the next several quarters; no special dividend had been announced in the supplied material.
Costco’s latest annual report provides the prior-year context. For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2025, the company reported net sales of $269.9 billion and net income of $8.1 billion. Membership-fee revenue was $5.3 billion, while the company reported more than 145 million cardholders and a 90% renewal rate. It ended that fiscal year with 914 locations after adding 24 net new sites.
Meta Connect begins Wednesday
Meta Connect is set to open on Wednesday, with chief executive Mark Zuckerberg scheduled to deliver a keynote at 7 p.m. ET, CNBC reported. The developer conference is expected to put artificial intelligence at the forefront.
CNBC said it would watch for updates on Meta’s Muse model family and agentic-AI application, tools for developers and the company’s family of apps. The outlet also identified Ray-Ban smart glasses and a possible mixed-reality headset as areas to monitor. These were pre-event expectations, not confirmed product announcements.
Expected US-China meeting and Thursday data
Trump was expected to host Xi in Washington on Thursday. CNBC said investors would watch for signals on the tariff truce, which it said was due to expire November 10, as well as trade, artificial intelligence and Taiwan. Farm Progress likewise described the expected September 24 meeting as a potential market-moving event for agricultural markets, particularly soybeans.
The economic calendar also lists initial jobless claims at 8:30 a.m. ET and new-home sales at 10 a.m. ET Thursday. The calendar establishes the timing of the releases, while their figures were not yet available.
- Wednesday: Meta Connect begins; Zuckerberg’s keynote is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
- Thursday, 8:30 a.m. ET: Initial jobless claims.
- Thursday, 10 a.m. ET: New-home sales.
- Thursday after the close: Costco is scheduled to report fourth-quarter earnings.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.
