Elections, central banks and earnings on the menu
SPY•European and global markets began the week cautiously, with Wall Street futures and most Asian markets slightly lower. Investors are watching central bank decisions, regional tensions and earnings from major technology companies, including Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon.
1. Markets and policy
Wall Street futures and most of Asia were slightly lower. Oil prices eased, though Brent rose more than 6% last week to its highest weekly close since mid-2022 as Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia stoked energy-supply concerns. Central banks meeting this week are likely to sound hawkish; markets are wagering on rate hikes in Canada and New Zealand while expecting the Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan and European Central Bank to hold rates.
2. Earnings to watch
Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon are among the companies reporting this week, along with Intel and Sandisk. Consensus forecasts cited in the article put Microsoft revenue at $90.6 billion and adjusted EPS at $4.73, Amazon revenue at $202 billion and EPS around $1.97, and Alphabet revenue at $128 billion and EPS at $3.00. In Asia, SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics also report; SK Hynix said it will announce shareholder return measures on Wednesday.
