Next week, at the risk of hyperbole, could be one of the more important weeks on Wall Street this year. The Federal Reserve's July policy meeting collides with the busiest stretch of second-quarter earnings season yet.
On the earnings front, four of the "Magnificent Seven" names are on deck, with Microsoft (MSFT), Meta Platforms (META), Amazon.com (AMZN), and Apple (AAPL) all set to report. The packed calendar also includes Arm Holdings (ARM), Boeing (BA), Chevron (CVX), Coinbase Global (COIN), Exxon Mobil (XOM), Mastercard (MA), PayPal (PYPL), Qualcomm (QCOM), Reddit (RDDT), Robinhood Markets (HOOD), Starbucks (SBUX), United Parcel Service (UPS), Visa (V), and Vertex AI play Tempus AI (TEM).
On top of that, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge and gross domestic product data are on tap.
Below is the schedule of key market events for the week ahead. All economic dates are tentative and subject to change.
Monday, July 27 is a quiet day on the economic front.
Tuesday, July 28 brings the S&P Case-Shiller home price index and the Conference Board's consumer confidence reading, as the Federal Open Market Committee's (FOMC) two-day policy meeting gets underway.
Wednesday, July 29 is the big one: the Fed's interest-rate decision lands at 2 p.m. ET, followed by Chair Kevin Warsh's press conference at 2:30 pm ET.
Thursday, July 30 brings the advance estimate of second-quarter GDP, along with weekly jobless claims.
Friday, July 31 wraps up with the June personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index along with the employment cost index.
