1215 ET [Dow Jones]--Traffic at both The Home Depot and Lowe's held steady in the second quarter, according to a recent report from Placer.ai, suggesting the recovery of early 2026 has stalled. Monthly visits data show that ongoing consumer headwinds are likely hurting recovery efforts. Year-over-year visit growth at both Home Depot and Lowe's slowed sharply in March, coinciding with a rise in gas prices that squeezed household budgets and seemingly prompted shoppers to delay larger home-improvement purchases, the location-analytics firm says. "But despite the increased pressure on consumers, traffic still remained relatively close to 2025 levels throughout the analyzed period," the report reads. Both Home Depot and Lowe's are scheduled to report earnings next week.