{"id":59025,"date":"2026-02-24T07:08:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T11:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/feds-bostic-warns-on-structural-job-risks-as-home-depot-beats-q4-estimates\/59025\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T07:08:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T11:08:26","slug":"feds-bostic-warns-on-structural-job-risks-as-home-depot-beats-q4-estimates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/feds-bostic-warns-on-structural-job-risks-as-home-depot-beats-q4-estimates\/59025\/","title":{"rendered":"Fed\u2019s Bostic Warns on Structural Job Risks as Home Depot Beats Q4 Estimates"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Home Depot (<a href=\"\/stock\/HD\">HD<\/a>) beat Q4 revenue and adjusted earnings expectations<\/strong>, reporting <strong>$38.20 billion<\/strong> in sales and an adjusted EPS of <strong>$2.72<\/strong>, while raising its quarterly dividend by <strong>1.3%<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic warned of &quot;structurally higher unemployment&quot;<\/strong> that the central bank may be unable to offset, emphasizing that the Fed must remain focused on inflation despite productivity gains.<\/li>\n<li><strong>UK retail sentiment plunged in February<\/strong>, with the CBI Retailing Reported Sales index falling to <strong>-43<\/strong>, significantly missing the estimated <strong>-27<\/strong> as consumer demand remains under pressure.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Geopolitical tensions escalated in the Middle East<\/strong> following reports that Israel issued a stern warning to Lebanon regarding potential strikes on civilian infrastructure if Hezbollah intervenes in a US-Iran conflict.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Home Depot Outperforms Amid Stable Demand<\/h2>\n<p>Home Depot (<a href=\"\/stock\/HD\">HD<\/a>) reported fourth-quarter sales of <strong>$38.198 billion<\/strong>, narrowly surpassing the IBES estimate of <strong>$38.119 billion<\/strong>. The home improvement giant posted a net income of <strong>$2.571 billion<\/strong> and an operating income of <strong>$3.849 billion<\/strong>, resulting in a GAAP EPS of <strong>$2.58<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>On an adjusted basis, the company delivered an EPS of <strong>$2.72<\/strong>, comfortably beating the analyst consensus of <strong>$2.54<\/strong>. Management noted that while storms impacted certain regions, underlying demand remained <em>relatively stable<\/em> throughout the fiscal year. In a show of confidence, the board approved a <strong>1.3% increase<\/strong> in the quarterly dividend to <strong>$2.33 per share<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Bostic Warns of Structural Economic Shifts<\/h2>\n<p>In some of his final remarks before retiring at the end of February, Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic struck a cautious tone regarding the long-term economic outlook. Bostic emphasized that the Federal Reserve must maintain its focus on inflation, even in the face of rising productivity, warning that <em>responding to short-run issues could lead to larger systemic problems.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Bostic also highlighted a growing concern that the U.S. may be transitioning toward <strong>structurally higher unemployment<\/strong>, a shift he noted the central bank is powerless to reverse. He further noted that the rapid transition to <strong>Artificial Intelligence (AI)<\/strong> presents a complex challenge for policymakers to interpret, though he expressed hope that the &quot;guardrails&quot; protecting the Fed&#39;s independence would remain intact.<\/p>\n<h2>UK Retail Slump and Global Geopolitical Friction<\/h2>\n<p>The UK economy faced a fresh setback as the <strong>CBI Retailing Reported Sales<\/strong> for February crashed to <strong>-43<\/strong>, far worse than the anticipated <strong>-27<\/strong>. This follows a previous reading of <strong>-17<\/strong>, signaling a sharp deterioration in high-street activity. The <strong>CBI Total Distributive Reported Sales<\/strong> also weakened to <strong>-40<\/strong>, down from <strong>-34<\/strong> in the prior month.<\/p>\n<p>On the global stage, regional stability remains precarious. Israel reportedly sent an indirect message to Lebanon, threatening to target <strong>civilian infrastructure<\/strong> if Hezbollah enters a potential US-Iran war. Simultaneously, Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards commenced military drills on the country&#39;s southern shores. In Europe, the <em>Financial Times<\/em> reported that European leaders are gathering in Kyiv to show support for Ukraine, even as the U.S. appears to be &quot;hanging back&quot; from the latest diplomatic surge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Home Depot (HD) beat Q4 revenue and adjusted earnings expectations, reporting $38.20 billion in sales and an adjusted [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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