<body><p>STORY: Home Depot on Tuesday said Americans are scaling back on large home remodeling projects as they grapple with economic uncertainty and a subdued housing market.</p><p>:: Home Depot handout</p><p>The big box retailer kicked off a big week of corporate earnings results by beating both sales and profit estimates, but warned that its customers remain cautious.</p><p>U.S. consumer sentiment slumped to a record low in early May as the war in Iran fanned inflation pressures and strained household finances.</p><p>That's kept spending on home improvement projects muted amid elevated mortgage rates and high home prices.</p><p>:: Home Depot handout</p><p>Going forward, Home Depot expects both sales and profit to be in the range of flat to a small rise.</p><p>The company said elevated fuel costs are also pressuring the business through both transportation and input expenses, but noted that tariff refunds could help significantly.</p><p>Results from fellow U.S. retailers this week are likely to shed more light on the state of the consumer.</p><p>Rival Lowe's and big-box retailer Target are set to report on Wednesday, followed on Thursday by sector bellwether Walmart.</p></body>
