PANews, May 16th - Over the past week, driven by soaring energy prices fueled by the Iran conflict, US inflation data surged across the board, with several key indicators hitting multi-year highs. Traders have largely ruled out a Fed rate cut this year, while bets on a rate hike have intensified. The minutes of the Fed's most recent meeting will be closely watched in the coming week for signs of a strengthening rate hike signal. Furthermore, uncertainty surrounding the Middle East situation remains a shadow hanging over global markets. Here are the key points the market will focus on in the coming week:
The G7 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting will be held on Monday and will continue until May 19.
At 8:00 PM on Tuesday, Federal Reserve Governor Waller will speak at a European Central Bank research conference;
At 20:15 on Tuesday, the weekly change in US ADP employment figures for the week ending May 2 will be released.
At 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Paulson, a 2026 FOMC voting member and president of the Philadelphia Federal Reserve, will deliver a speech.
The Federal Reserve will release the minutes of its monetary policy meeting at 2:00 AM on Thursday.
At 20:30 on Thursday, the following data will be released: US initial jobless claims for the week ending April 18, annualized total housing starts in April, total building permits in April, and the Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index for May.
At 22:00 on Friday, the final reading of the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index for May, the final reading of the one-year inflation rate expectations, and the US Conference Board Leading Economic Index for April will be released.
The US and Israel are reportedly considering restarting strikes against Iran as early as next week, potentially jeopardizing gold prices. Amidst escalating expectations of interest rate hikes in the bond market, the final meeting minutes of the "Powell era" are being released. Furthermore, the AI boom and consumer spending driven by inflationary pressures are the two core themes currently influencing the direction of the US stock market. Next week, semiconductor giant Nvidia (NVDA) and Walmart (WMT), along with other retail companies, will release their earnings reports, prompting in-depth market analysis around these two main themes.
