Big earnings in the week ahead | Santoli on too much of a good thing | Cramer's playbook

Earnings will be the major focus for investors in the week ahead, as they home in on whether rising costs are squeezing margins and signaling a build in inflationary pressures.

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE SAT, APR 17, 2021 WEEKEND BRIEF EDITOR'S NOTE Industrial companies, consumer giants, airlines and tech firms are among the dozens of companies that report first quarter earnings in the week ahead.  Ten of them are in the Dow.   The test is not so much whether they make their numbers – 84% of companies are beating estimates so far this quarter. Rather, it's what do company officials say about the second quarter and more importantly costs. Investors will dig deep into earnings reports for clues on how the supply chain issues and rising raw material costs are impacting the bottom line.   Are they pressuring margins and therefore squeezing profits? Or are they being passed along as price increases, adding inflationary pressures somewhere else in the economy? The collective comments from CEOs could be an early look at whether inflation is likely to be fleeting, as the Fed expects, or a longer term trend.   Analysts are particularly looking at labor costs since increases there could be potentially longer lasting. Consumer products companies like Procter and Gamble, Coca-Cola and Kimberly Clark report, as do Intel, IBM, Netflix, Verizon, AT&T and Honeywell.  Earnings growth so far, based on actual earnings and estimates, is 30.2%, the best growth rate since the third quarter of 2010, according to FactSet. There is little economic data but economists are watching the weekly unemployment claims data after a surprise drop in last week's report. The Fed is also quiet ahead of its meeting in the final week of April. This is the one week of the reporting season that looks like it could be all about earnings.  Patti Domm | CNBC Markets Editor @pattidomm THE WEEK AHEAD Concerns over inflationary pressure on earnings will test stocks in the week ahead   MICHAEL SANTOLI'S MARKET COLUMN Stock investors beware: There can be too much of a good thing ACTIVIST SPOTLIGHT An activist investor calls for a slate of new directors at apparel retailer Genesco   YOUR WEEKEND BRIEFING  Cramer's week ahead: The impact of inflation and the reopening as earnings season accelerates 'Roaring Kitty' forgoes quick GameStop options payday in the millions, raises stake The set-up is 'attractive' for these stocks heading into earnings, analysts say Lawyer linked to creation of $100 million New Jersey deli firm pleaded guilty in shell company scheme UBS put out the definitive guide for investing under a Biden administration Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause makes it tougher to immunize hard-to-reach populations against Covid     Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2021 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS