What To Expect in the Markets This Week

A Federal Reserve interest-rate decision, comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell, and the Fed’s “dot plot” interest-rate projections will likely be in the spotlight this week, with retail sales data also due for release as businesses brace for the impact of tariffs.

Nvidia (NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang will deliver the keynote address at the company’s annual GTC conference on Tuesday, amid increasing focus on demand for the company’s chips to support artificial intelligence (AI). Nvidia partner Micron Technology (MU) is set to report earnings, along with Nike (NKE), Accenture (ACN), shipping giant FedEx (FDX), Tesla competitor Xpeng (XPEV), and others.

Monday, March 17

• U.S. retail sales (February)
• Empire State Manufacturing Survey (March)
• Business inventories (January)
• Homebuilder confidence (March)
• Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), Harrow (HROW), Getty Images (GETY), and Altus Power (AMPS) are scheduled to report earnings

Tuesday, March 18

• Housing starts (February)
• Building permits (February)
• Import/export price index (February)
• Industrial production/capacity utilization (February)
• Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting begins
• Adobe Summit keynote address
• Nvidia GTC conference keynote featuring CEO Jensen Huang
• Tencent Music (TME), XPeng, and HealthEquity (HQY) are scheduled to report earnings

Wednesday, March 19

• FOMC interest-rate decision
• Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s press conference
• General Mills (GIS), Ollie’s Bargain Outlet (OLLI), and Five Below (FIVE) are scheduled to report earnings

Thursday, March 20

• Initial jobless claims (Week ending March 15)
• Philadelphia Fed manufacturing survey (March)
• Existing home sales (February)
• U.S. leading economic indicators (February)
• PDD Holdings (PDD), Accenture, Nike, Micron Technology, FedEx, Lennar (LEN), and Darden Restaurants (DRI) are scheduled to report earnings

Friday, March 21

• First day for comments from Fed officials following meeting blackout period
• Carnival (CCL) and Nio (NIO) are scheduled to report earnings 

Fed Interest-Rate Decision, Powell Remarks, ‘Dot Plot’ Projections, Retail Sales Data in Spotlight

Investors expect the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates unchanged when it concludes its two-day meeting this Wednesday. It would be the second consecutive meeting where the  Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) kept rates unchanged after it reduced interest rates by a full percentage point over the final three meetings of 2024. According to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool, market participants have priced in a near certainty that the FOMC will keep rates at its current levels of 4.25% to 4.5%. 

The Fed’s report will also include its quarterly economic projections, including the closely followed “dot plot” that lays out the expected path of interest rates. After the decision, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is scheduled to answer media questions on interest rates and economic policies, which could have an impact on markets. 

On Monday, February retail sales data arrives as worries over consumer resiliency grow after spending declined sharply in January and consumer confidence waned over tariff fears. Several reports of housing data are on tap for this week as real estate professionals begin to look toward the spring selling season to thaw a frigid housing market that has suffered under high prices and limited inventory. 

The homebuilder confidence report on Monday comes as tariffs on steel and aluminum threaten to raise construction costs, while housing starts data on Tuesday will give some indication on the pace of building activity in February. The Thursday report on existing home sales will show if homebuying continued its slow pace last month. 

Nvidia Kicks Off GTC Event, With Nike, FedEx, Micron, and More Set To Report Earnings

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will deliver remarks this week at the company’s annual conference for artificial intelligence (AI) developers, coming as the chipmaker faces market pressure amid a tech stock sell-off.  Huang is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at 1 p.m. ET Tuesday at Nvidia’s GPU Technology Conference, commonly known as GTC, with his remarks coming as the chipmaker faces challenges from Chinese AI technology like DeepSeek.

Investors also will be watching the Adobe Summit this week for updates on AI technology. Nvidia partner Micron Technology is set to report earnings Thursday, after the memory chip maker lowered its revenue projections below analyst estimates as the company cited a weak PC replacement cycle and slower demand for its auto and industrial sector products. 

Also Thursday, Nike is scheduled to deliver its quarterly results after the athletic wear maker reported better-than-expected results in new CEO Elliott Hill’s first quarter as head of the global fashion giant.

FedEx’s scheduled report for Thursday arrives after the shipping company laid out plans late last year to spin off its freight business into a separate public company. In its most recent earnings report, FedEx lowered its full-year outlook to project flat year-over-year revenue growth as the company anticipated weaker demand from consumers.

Several reports from restaurants and retailers also could provide a window into the health of the consumer amid worries about a spending slowdown after January’s retail sales data declined. Discount retailers Ollie’s Bargain Outlet and Five Below are scheduled to release earnings on Wednesday, while Olive Garden parent Darden Restaurants is expected to report on Thursday. Cereal maker General Mills’ report scheduled for Wednesday could also speak to consumer trends.