What to expect in the markets this week

The week begins with the Veterans Day holiday, during which bond markets remain closed while stock markets remain open. Investors will then receive updated insights into the health of the U.S. economy based on comments from several Fed officials. Chairman Jerome Powell will deliver a speech on the economy on Thursday, while Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari and St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem will also deliver remarks.

Investors will receive updated inflation data for October with the release of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday. Reports on wholesale inflation and retail sales are also published.

This week’s corporate earnings reports include Home Depot (HD), AstraZeneca (AZN), Cisco (CSCO), and Walt Disney (DIS). Bitcoin miner MARA Holdings (MARA) and nuclear power startup Oklo (OKLO) are also expected to release financial updates.

Monday, November 11th

• Bond markets are closed for the Veterans Day holiday
• Monday.com (MNDY) and Aramark (ARMK)Report income

Tuesday, November 12th

• NFIB Small Business Optimism Index (October)
• Senior Loan Officers Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices (SLOOS)
• Neel Kashkari, Minneapolis Fed President and Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker make comments
• Home Depot (HD), AstraZeneca (AZN), Shopify (SHOP), Spotify (SPOT), Suncor Energy (SU), Occidental Petroleum (OXY), and MARA Holdings (MARA) Report income

Wednesday, November 13th

• Consumer Price Index (October)
• Monthly federal budget (October)
• Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan, Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid, and St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem make comments
• Cisco (CSCO) and Tower Semiconductor (TSEM) Report income

Thursday, November 14th

• Initial Jobless Claims (Week Ending November 9)
• Producer price index (October)
• US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and New York Fed President John Williams make comments
• Walt Disney (DIS), Applied Materials (AMAT), JD.com (JD), and Oklo (OKLO) Report income

Friday, November 15th

• Import/Export Price Index (October)
• US retail sales (October)
• Empire State Manufacturing Survey (November)
• Industrial production/capacity utilization (October)
• Company inventories (September)
• Alibaba (BABA) and Spectrum Brands (SPB) Report income

Market participants are watching CPI inflation, Powell comments and retail sales this week

The week begins with Veterans Day on Monday, a federal holiday when bond markets remain closed but major stock markets remain open.

Following the Federal Reserve’s decision to cut interest rates last week, investors will have the opportunity to get a better perspective on the economy as several Fed officials are expected to provide comments later in the week.

At the top of the list is Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who will deliver remarks on the economy at an event at the Dallas Regional Chamber on Thursday. Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari and St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem are also likely to comment on the economy at events this week, while Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan, the president of the Kansas City Fed Chairman Jeffrey Schmid and Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker are also scheduled to speak.

Market watchers will get another key inflation indicator this week with the release of the October CPI on Wednesday. After a September report in which the inflation rate was unexpectedly high at 2.4%, the latest printout of the economic indicator will show whether price pressures continue to move towards the Fed’s 2% target. The next day, the Producer Price Index (PPI) will show how inflation is affecting wholesalers.

Economists will be watching Friday’s release of U.S. retail sales for October to see whether consumers continue to outperform expectations. Retail sales rose 0.4% in September, with economists seeing the growth as evidence that U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) could be stronger in the third quarter than previously forecast.

Investors expect profits from Home Depot, Cisco, Disney

Several big-name retailers, drugmakers and technology companies are on the corporate earnings calendar this week.

Home improvement retailer Home Depot will report its third-quarter results on Tuesday after forecasting a larger full-year decline in comparable store sales due to weaker consumer trends.

British drugmaker AstraZeneca will also report its financial results on Tuesday, as the company continues to develop a breast cancer treatment after its recent trials produced disappointing results.

Network infrastructure maker Cisco will report its first-quarter fiscal 2025 results on Wednesday, its first since announcing 7% headcount cuts and profit declines in both revenue and profit.

On Thursday, Walt Disney will look to build on profit reported for its streaming service after the company reported better-than-expected results in the previous quarter despite declining demand in its theme park business.

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group will announce on Friday that the company has emerged from a three-year government antitrust investigation, which has since helped boost the company’s share price. Alibaba’s report follows a disappointing quarter in which revenue fell short of expectations and profit fell. JD.com, another Chinese online retailer, will release its quarterly financial report on Thursday.

Bitcoin miner MARA Holdings will report earnings on Tuesday after raising $250 million to buy more of the digital currency and boost its balance sheet to more than 20,000 Bitcoin.