These stocks are set for big moves on Tuesday

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The U.S. retail sector, which is stumbling through an otherwise outstanding earnings season, will be the focus of Tuesday-morning trading, with some big-name retail earnings due before the opening bell.

First-quarter financial results are expected from Home Depot Inc., Winners and Home Sense parent TJX Companies Inc., and Staples Inc.

Dicks Sporting Goods Inc. is on the agenda after the market opens on Tuesday, while Urban Outfitters Inc. is scheduled to report after the close of trading.

Earnings surprises from those names could help undo some of the sector's losses inflicted in last week's department-store carnage.

Amid changing spending patterns and the growing domination of Amazon.com, big chains such as Macy's Inc. and Nordstrom Inc. saw their stocks crushed after disappointing the Street last week.

But among the few subsectors of the retail space holding up relatively well this earnings season are the home improvement group, as well as discount retail. Home Depot and TJX could reinforce those trends on Tuesday morning.

Retailers always account for the bulk of financial results as earnings season draws to a close. With more than 90 per cent of S&P 500 index companies having disclosed their first-quarter performance, earnings are on track for 15-per-cent growth, year over year, according to Bloomberg data.

Canadian stocks are set to double that earnings jump, though the energy sector's rebound from the crash in oil prices is responsible for about half the overall profit increase. Excluding energy profits, the S&P/TSX composite index earnings are on course to rise by 16 per cent over the same quarter last year, according to Thomson Reuters.

Tuesday will be a light one for Canadian earnings releases. Companies that reported after the bell on Monday included Avigilon Corp., which posted adjusted first-quarter earnings of 7 cents a share, beating the consensus estimate of 6 cents.

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