Top 5 things to watch in markets in the week ahead

investing.com:

Investing.com — Investors will be looking ahead to data due out when markets are closed on Friday for the latest read on U.S. inflation. Several Federal Reserve officials, including Chair Jerome Powell, are slated to speak and their comments will be closely watched after last week’s dovish remarks by the Fed head. Here’s what you need to know to start your week.

The U.S. is to release the core personal consumption expenditures price index, the Fed’s preferred gauge of underlying inflation when markets are closed for Good Friday.

The index, which excludes food and energy costs, is forecast to rise 0.3% in February after posting its biggest monthly increase in a year the prior month.

Last week the Fed stuck with projections for three interest rate cuts this year, despite revising up its forecast for economic growth, but adding that official wanted more evidence inflation is slowing before easing.

The economic calendar also features data on new home sales, durable goods orders, revised GDP and the weekly report on initial jobless claims.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell, Atlanta Fed president Raphael Bostic and Fed governors Lisa Cook and Christopher Waller are among some of the Fed officials due to make appearances during the coming week.

"[W]e believe that it is likely that Fed speakers over the coming weeks will lean more on the hawkish side, especially with regard to the long-term path for policy interest rates — the thing that could be material for the 10-year yield," analysts at Macquarie said in a recent note.

«Powell's 'dovish' tone came somewhat as a surprise to us, and probably ran counter to the thinking of other Fed policy officials,» Macquarie added, flagging the jump in the overnight index swap market pricing in an 85%