The U.S. stock market may get off to a tentative start this morning, as traders prepare for a busy week on Wall Street. In the coming days, investors will receive an important inflation report, as well as an interest-rate decision from the Federal Reserve. In addition, a number of widely-watched technology companies are slated to post their latest quarterly profit reports. As we were writing this update, the S&P 500 Index futures were hugging the neutral line, after having been under some pressure earlier this morning.
In the economic arena, no major reports will be released today or tomorrow. However, the pace should pick up dramatically on Wednesday when the CPI (Consumer Price Index) for the month of May is published. Most analysts expect the numbers will show that consumer prices rose about 3.4% during the month, year over year. This result would be on par with the reading received in April, and would suggest that inflation, while stable, remains elevated. Also on Wednesday, the FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) will conclude its two-day meeting with an interest-rate decision. In addition, Chairman Jerome Powell is slated to present a speech and conduct a press conference. Few investors expect that the Fed will make any policy changes at this meeting. However, any forward-looking commentary provided should be of importance, especially as the ECB (European Central Bank) just started to cut rates.
In corporate news, a handful of widely-held technology companies are slated to publish reports this week. On Tuesday, we will hear from Oracle (ORCL), a leader in data base software. On Wednesday, Broadcom (AVGO), a semiconductor manufacturer, is scheduled to deliver its results. Later in the week, Adobe (ADBE), a media and marketing software company, will be in focus. Investors will probably want to see that these companies are embracing artificial intelligence applications, and that profits will gradually benefit, as a result. On a related note, Apple (AAPL) will be hosting its World Wide Developers Conference this week, and investors are hoping to see some major product upgrades.
Technically, the stock market is back near high ground, having recovered from the brief pullback that took place in late May. From a sector perspective, the technology stocks are showing leadership, although investors may still be concentrated in the largest issues. Moreover, a few sectors are underperforming, and traders would probably like to see broader market participation. – Adam Rosner
At the time of this article’s writing, the author did not have positions in any of the companies mentioned.
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