Home Depot's profits are the "canary in the coal mine" for the health of middle-class consumers, one economist told Newsweek.

Home Depot got a lift in the first quarter from professionals and also homeowners stocking up on spring supplies. Profit fell from its first quarter last year, but the national home improvement retailer beat Wall Street expectations.

Home Depot reported lower first-quarter profit as a stagnant housing market continues to weigh on home improvement activity.

Home Depot’s results beat Wall Street’s expectations in the fiscal first quarter on a strong showing from professional customers while homeowners started stocking up on some of their spring supplies

Shares of Home Depot crept higher on Tuesday after the home- improvement giant kept its full-year outlook intact — a relief for investors worried that higher gasoline prices due to the Iran war would further crimp consumer spending.

Americans were scaling back large remodeling projects as they grapple with mounting macroeconomic uncertainty and a subdued housing market strained by affordability pressures. Lisa Bernhard reports.

Home ‌Depot beat Wall Street estimates for first-quarter sales on Tuesday, helped by resilient ​demand from professional customers and ​homeowners taking up smaller budget-friendly repair ⁠projects.

Here are some of the companies presenting earnings on Tuesday: Before the opening bell. Home Depot Vertiv Amer Sports MakeMyTrip After the close. Keysight Technologies CAVA Toll Brothers James Hardie