Hello friends and Fortune readers.
CEOs and global leaders descended in New York City last week for the United Nations climate summit. Many Fortune 500 executives laid out their visions for combating global warming and all told agreed to put up more than $200 billion to finance clean energy and support vulnerable nations.
President Barack Obama pledged that the U.S. would lead the charge to combat climate change with as much as $100 billion invested annually to help the poorest countries shift away from fossil fuels and deal with worsening climate effects, such as floods and heat waves. The U.S. will also require all countries to establish emission targets by 2020.
Here’s what to watch out for in the week ahead.
1. Stay tuned during the commercial break: It’s Advertising Week.
The premier annual gathering of marketing and ad leaders kicks off on Monday in New York City. Advertising Week will feature more than 250 events over four days, and more than 90,000 brand marketers and ad professionals are expected to attend to discuss key business trends that are shaping the global media industry. Companies, including Facebook (FB), are expected to introduce new ad initiatives at the event. Fortune’s own Pattie Sellers will host a conversation with BBG Fund president Susan Lyne about “The Evolution of Brands and Careers” on Thursday at the Liberty Theater.
2. Will pledging American allegiance boost Walgreen earnings?
Walgreen reports its fourth quarter earnings Tuesday. Investors watched the previous results closely to see if the drug store chain would move its headquarters abroad in a tax inversion deal involving UK-based Alliance Boots Holdings. Walgreen (WAG) announced shortly thereafter that it would buy Alliance Boots’ remaining shares but would not move its nominal home out of the U.S. Walgreen’s shares took a beating after that decision and still remain down almost 19% since the beginning of July. Analysts expect earnings-per-share of 74 cents on just over $19 billion in sales.
3. September employment numbers
Monthly employment figures for September will be released on Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Monthly job gains had been over 200,000 for six months running, but that number dropped off in August as the employment market lost steam. Analysts will be watching to see if the hiring pace picked back up this month, especially as retailers prep for a big holiday shopping season. Holiday-season hiring is expected to reach its highest level since 1999 this year. Analysts expect around 215,000 non-farm jobs to be added in September and the unemployment rate to remain unchanged at 6.1%.
4. Microsoft takes the stage this week in yet another tech company reveal.
Microsoft will host a press conference on Tuesday during which it will reveal its new Windows 9 operating system. Microsoft (MSFT) is the latest in a line of tech companies announcing new products this fall. Since September, Apple (AAPL), Samsung and Blackberry (BBRY) have all held events to introduce new devices.
Microsoft France president Alain Crozier leaked the new Windows release at a press conference earlier in the week, though many had already been speculating about the OS update. Microsoft said the event would focus on “what’s next for Windows.” The new OS is expected to fix technical issues that plagued Windows 8.1.
5. Here comes the sun energy.
The International Energy Agency will release a report Monday about the status of the global solar energy market and outline expectations for future growth. An early version of the IEA research shows that solar, in all forms, is expected to account for more than 50% of the world’s electricity by 2050.
The announcement comes on the heels of a week of discussions around climate change between business and government leaders at the United Nations. The report will provide insight into how much solar energy will contribute to the power mix in the future as well as what policies promote technological innovation and implementation.
