Top 5 things to watch in markets in the week ahead
Investing.com — In the holiday-shortened week ahead investors will be looking to the minutes of the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting for any fresh insights on the future path of interest rates. Retailers are preparing for what they hope will be another bumper holiday shopping season. Nvidia is the last megacap company to report earnings and oil prices look set to remain volatile. Here’s what you need to know to start your week.
The Fed is to publish the minutes of its Oct. 31-Nov. 1 meeting on Tuesday, a day earlier than usual, due to this week’s Thanksgiving holiday.
Recent indications that inflation is cooling have fueled hopes that the U.S. central bank is done with hiking rates and investors will be combing through the minutes for clues on where policymakers are leaning.
On Friday Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr said he believes the Fed is at or near the peak of interest rate hikes, but San Francisco Fed chief Mary Daly and Boston Fed President Susan Collins highlighted the need for more evidence of cooling inflation.
On the economic data front, figures on existing home sales are due out on Tuesday, followed a day later by the weekly government figures on initial jobless claims and October data on durable goods orders.
U.S. retailers are gearing up for Black Friday, marking the start of the crucial holiday shopping season that follows Thanksgiving at a time when investors are questioning whether the consumer-driven U.S. economy can remain resilient.
This year's Black Friday comes against a backdrop of elevated interest rates and inflation that, while easing, remains above the Fed's 2% target.
Data last week showed that U.S. retail sales fell for the first time in seven months in October, pointing to slowing
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