What To Expect in the Markets This Week

Inflation data will be in focus this week after Federal Reserve officials indicated the central bank is watching for inflation to fall before moving ahead with further interest-rate reductions.

On Friday, the scheduled release of the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index for January will show whether the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation continues to accelerate. PCE rose, as expected, in December and the January reading of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a separate inflation measure, also showed price pressures increasing more than expected.

Also this week, the consumer confidence survey on Tuesday will include data on public perceptions of inflation, which Fed officials watch as an important determinant of price increases.

Several central bankers are expected to deliver remarks this week, including Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee, Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan, and Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker.

Revisions to fourth-quarter GDP are scheduled for Thursday. The initial reading released last month showed the U.S. economy grew at a 2.3% annual rate, slightly lower than expectations.

Investors will also be watching housing data this week, including pricing data on Tuesday, new home sales results on Wednesday, and pending home sales on Thursday.

An update on the U.S. international trade balance is scheduled for Friday, coming as investors are closely following tariff proposals from President Donald Trump.

Nvidia’s earnings report, scheduled for Wednesday, comes as the stock faces pressure from Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up DeepSeek, whose surprisingly efficient AI model raised questions about the spending levels needed to develop the technology. Nvidia’s profit more than doubled in the third quarter amid strong sales in its data center division.

Salesforce is also slated to report results on Wednesday. The cloud software provider grew revenue by 8% and delivered better-than-expected earnings in the third quarter as it rolled out its autonomous AI agents.

Other tech companies on the earnings calendar this week include software firm Synopsys and cloud-based data storage company Snowflake.

Dell Technologies’ report is scheduled for Thursday. Analysts are optimistic that the computer maker can tap into the AI boom, despite disappointing results in its most recent quarterly update. The company has been in talks on a server deal with Elon Musk’s xAI.

Hardware retailers are also on this week’s corporate calendar, with Home Depot’s report expected Tuesday. The home improvement store topped analyst estimates for revenue and earnings in the prior quarter, and raised its full-year revenue outlook.

Lowe’s report is scheduled for the following day and comes after it forecast in December a return to sales growth in 2025 while the retailer contends with a sluggish housing market that has cut into consumer spending.

Chrysler parent Stellantis is expected to deliver earnings this week after the Jeep maker last month reported a noteworthy drop in quarterly shipments. Luxury electric vehicle maker Lucid is also scheduled to release earnings this week.

Warner Bros. Discovery plans to release its quarterly results this week, after the entertainment giant announced plans to split its TV business from its streaming and movie studios. Paramount Global is also expected to report earnings this week.

Several Canadian banks are scheduled to report, including Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto Dominion Bank, Bank of Montreal, and Bank of Nova Scotia.

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