What To Expect in the Markets This Week

Wednesday’s expected decision on interest rates from the Federal Reserve, along with earnings from several large tech and entertainment companies, could highlight a busy week ahead for investors.

Palantir (PLTR), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Uber Technologies (UBER) and Walt Disney (DIS) are some of the companies scheduled to report earnings. The week is also set to bring fresh data on consumer credit, productivity and the U.S. trade balance.

Monday, May 5

• S&P services PMI (April)
• ISM services PMI (April)
• Palantir, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX), Ford (F), Tyson Foods (TSN), Clorox (CLX) and Onsemi (ON) are scheduled to report earnings

Tuesday, May 6

• Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting begins
• U.S. trade deficit (March)
• Advanced Micro Devices, Ferrari (RACE), Arista Networks (ANET), Duke Energy (DUK), Marriott International (MAR) and Electronic Arts (EA) are scheduled to report earnings

Wednesday, May 7

• FOMC interest rate decision
• Fed Chair Jerome Powell press conference 
• Consumer credit (March)
• Novo Nordisk (NVO), Uber Technologies, Walt Disney, Arm Holdings (ARM), AppLovin (APP), DoorDash (DASH), Carvana (CVNA) and Occidental Petroleum (OXY) are scheduled to report earnings

Thursday, May 8

• Initial jobless claims (Week ending May 3)
• U.S. productivity (Q1)
• Wholesale inventories (March)
• Shopify (SHOP), ConocoPhillips (COP), Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD), Coinbase (COIN) and Kenvue (KVUE) are scheduled to report earnings

Friday, May 9

• Federal Reserve Govs. Lisa Cook and Christopher Waller, New York Fed President John Williams, Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack, St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem and Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee are scheduled to deliver remarks

Fed’s Interest Rate Decision Comes Amid Political Pressure to Lower Rates

The Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision on Wednesday comes as the central bank faces increasing political pressure to lower interest rates. But so far, investors don’t expect the Fed will lower rates from its current levels of 4.25%-4.5%, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool.

The Fed’s decision comes after the central bank got more encouraging inflation news last week when March’s inflation rate was in line with expectations, though still above the target. U.S. employers also added more jobs than expected in April, Friday’s jobs report showed.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s comments after the decision follow weeks of scrutiny from President Trump, which has raised questions over whether the president could remove the Fed chair from his position and what that would mean for central bank independence. 

On Friday, the Federal Reserve’s blackout period ends with a noteworthy event that will feature a string of speakers that include Federal Reserve Governors Lisa Cook and Christopher Waller, New York Fed President John Williams, Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack and St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem. Also speaking at the event is former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh, a key adviser to Trump who has been critical of the Federal Reserve and is thought to be one of the president’s candidates to succeed Powell.

Investors may also look to other key economic releases this week, including trade balance data on Tuesday and initial jobless claims on Thursday. Wednesday’s scheduled report on consumer credit comes as economists are evaluating consumer health amid faltering confidence, while Thursday’s wholesale inventories report could provide insight on supply chain resilience as trade tensions remain high. 

Palantir, AMD, Ford, Disney and More Report Earnings

Kicking off the week’s earnings, Ford is scheduled to report on Monday as the automaker has lowered its outlook under increasing pressure from Trump’s automobile tariffs. Palantir’s results after the bell Monday could also provide more insight into demand for artificial intelligence software. 

Advanced Micro Devices is scheduled to report on Tuesday as the semiconductor industry has come under pressure from tightening trade restrictions on exports to China, which AMD said could result in $800 million in costs.

Ride-hailing company Uber and Danish pharmaceutical firm Novo Nordisk are set to follow Wednesday, along with Disney. The entertainment giant’s report Wednesday follows a better-than-expected quarter for the company as it continues to build out its streaming service, even as it reportedly laid off about 6% of its news and cable TV divisions. 

Other companies due to release their latest quarterly financial results this week include Coinbase, Shopify, brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev, energy firms ConocoPhillips and Occidental Petroleum, delivery service DoorDash, online used car retailer Carvana and video game maker Electronic Arts.