The Week Ahead: Closely Watching for Signs of Inflation

Jeremy Glaser: There are a few pieces of interesting data on tap this week. The consumer price index on Tuesday will be eyed more closely than usual as inflation concerns have taken center stage for investors over the last month.

Retail sales on Wednesday will provide a glimpse into the state of the consumer, and we're also looking for an update on the housing market with starts and permits on Friday.

There won't be much in the way of earnings. Wide-moat Tiffany had a decent holiday season, and our analyst, Jelena Sokolova, is looking to see if that momentum can continue. She sees shares as overvalued today. Dollar General also looks pricey heading into earnings. Analyst John Brick thinks the firm has successfully bucked retail trends and has been able to drive traffic with modest margin pressure, but he thinks that new initiatives will increase cost and complexity and that could weigh on profitability.

Stay tuned for our take on these stories.