NEW YORK, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The health of the U.S.

consumer moves into the spotlight next week, with investors

watching corporate earnings reports and retail sales data for

further confirmation of the economic resilience that has boosted

equity markets this month.

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% 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.

"For the most part, the majority of the economic data stream

has been positive," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B

Riley Wealth. "Hopefully that gets confirmation with some of the

more consumer-facing companies that are reporting next week."

Earnings from American Express ( AXP ), Netflix ( NFLX ), United Airlines,

Procter & Gamble ( PG ) and several major banks will give a broad view

of consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of

U.S. economic activity. Retail sales data is expected on Oct.

17.

Shares of JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo jumped as earnings

season got into gear on Friday, after both lenders surpassed

estimates.

Expectations have firmed that the economy will avoid a

downturn despite a long period of elevated interest rates.

Goldman Sachs ( GS ), for example, lowered the odds of a U.S. recession

in the next 12 months by five percentage points to 15% following

the employment data.

Robust data has supported that view. In addition to jobs,

reports on consumer prices and the services sector suggest that

fears of a rapidly weakening economy - prompted by disappointing

labor market reports in August and September - were overblown.

The Citigroup Economic Surprise Index, which

measures how economic data stacks up versus expectations, turned

positive this month after being negative since the start of May.

Still, the consumer-spending environment has grown "murkier"

following layoffs at financial services and technology companies

in recent months, back-to-back hurricanes in the Southeast and a

brief dockworkers strike, said Kevin Gordon, senior investment

strategist at Charles Schwab, raising the stakes for data and

company reports to provide clarity.

More insight will come from additional banks reporting in

the coming days, including Bank of America ( BAC ) and Citigroup ( C/PN )

on Tuesday.

American Express' ( AXP ) results will offer a read on more

high-end consumer spending, said Peter Tuz, president of Chase

Investment Counsel in Charlottesville, Virginia.

At the other end of the income spectrum, investors said they

were focusing on how less affluent consumers were grappling with

the rise in prices over the past few years.

Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management

in Milwaukee, said he will be scrutinizing Netflix's ( NFLX ) results -

specifically whether the streaming service is adding or losing

customers and at what pace - for insight into how lower-income

consumers are reprioritizing spending.

Companies will need to top expectations for profit growth in

their quarterly reports in order to support the stock market's

valuation, which stands well above its historical average.

Among the small number of companies that have already

reported, 79% have topped estimates, in line with the pace of

the past four quarters, LSEG IBES data on Friday showed.

More than 150 S&P 500 companies are expected to report

results over the next two weeks.

Third-quarter results should confirm that large-cap

corporate profit growth remains solid, analysts at UBS Global

Wealth Management said in a note on Friday. "Now that the Fed

has started its rate-cutting cycle, the economy should get a

further boost from lower interest rates on things like credit

card debt and business loans."