The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday edition that the health of the U.S. consumer moves into the spotlight this week. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says that as earnings season kicks off, stocks are on a roll. The benchmark S&P 500 is set to post its fifth straight weekly gain and is hovering near a fresh record high after rising over 21 per cent this year. Driving the gains is a string of encouraging economic data that have all but dispelled the slowdown fears that rocked markets over the summer. Among these was a blowout jobs report earlier this month, the latest sign that the economy is maintaining solid growth as the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates -- a historically potent combination for stock market gains. Earnings from American Express, Netflix, United Airlines, Procter & Gamble, and several major banks will give a broad view of consumer spending. Retail sales data are expected on Thursday. Expectations have firmed that the economy will avoid a downturn despite a long period of elevated interest rates. Goldman Sachs, for example, lowered the odds of a U.S. recession in the next 12 months by five percentage points to 15 per cent following release of the employment data.