What to Watch Thursday: Earnings from Viacom, Nordstrom and Cisco

Several other companies, including Kohl's and Applied Materials, will also report quarterly results.
By U-Jin Lee ,

Several big companies will be reporting quarterly earnings Thursday.

Before the opening bell we'll have Viacom (VIAB) - Get Report , Advance Auto Parts (AAP) - Get Report and Kohl's (KSS) - Get Report showing us how they did in the latest quarter.

In the afternoon we'll hear from Cisco Systems (CSCO) - Get Report , Applied Materials (AMAT) - Get Report and Nordstrom (JWN) - Get Report .

Investors will be closely monitoring Nordstrom's report as the retail industry has been facing a number of challenges, including sluggish sales, a strong dollar and intense competition from online retailers, especially Amazon (AMZN) - Get Report .

For the latest quarter, analysts are estimating Nordstrom to earn $0.72 a share on revenue of over $3 billion.

Molly Henningsen, research analyst for CNBC's "Mad Money" said, "Nordstrom's report on Thursday is going to be another important indicator of the overall health of the retail industry. This morning, we got very disappointing results from Macy's (M) - Get Report , and their CEO indicated that the whole retail industry is going through a tough time. Nordstrom traditionally has been viewed as best in class, so it'll be interesting if they can deliver different and more positive results."

Macy's third-quarter results and a weak earnings forecast sent shock waves through the retail sector earlier Wednesday. Investors will see if Nordstrom can differentiate itself.

Additionally, several economic reports will be released Thursday, including jobless claims, the U.S. Department of Labor's job opening and labor turnover survey, weekly oil inventory data and the U.S. Treasury budget.

In addition, Federal Reserve officials speaking Thursday include James Bullard, Janet Yellen, Jeffrey Lacker, Charles Evans, William Dudley and Stanley Fischer.

TheStreet's U-Jin Lee reports from Wall Street.

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