What to Expect in the Week Ahead: Economic Data, Tech Sector Updates, and Earnings Releases

As we gear up for the week ahead, investors are keeping a close eye on various economic indicators, developments in the tech sector, and earnings releases from key companies. Here’s a rundown of what to expect:

Economic Calendar Highlights

The economic calendar for the upcoming week includes significant data releases on new home sales, durable orders, and construction prices. Market analysts anticipate that bond yields could experience upward pressure if inflation expectations rebound, following the higher-than-expected Consumer Price IndexThe Consumer Price Index is a measure of the average price level of a basket of goods and services that are commonly consumed by households. More (CPI) and Producer Price Index (PPI) reports for January. Of particular interest to inflation watchers is the release of the core Personal Consumption ExpendituresPCE stands for Personal Consumption Expenditures. It is a measure of how much money households spend on goods and services. More (PCE) number on February 29. This metric, considered the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, could influence interest rate expectations.

Tech Sector Outlook

Following Nvidia’s recent earnings report, which propelled shares of the Santa Clara-based company up by more than 20%, analysts expect another eventful week for semiconductor stocks. Nvidia’s strong performance also led to robust rallies for other industry players such as AMD, Super Micro, Arm, Marvell Technology, and Micron. The tech sector remains in focus as investors monitor developments and earnings reports for potential market-moving insights.

Events and Conferences

The week will feature several notable events and conferences that could impact various stocks and industries. The Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona Conference, spanning four days, is set to take place, featuring keynote speakers such as Accenture CEO Julie Sweet, China Mobile Chairman Yang Jie, and Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell. MWC is renowned as one of the industry’s largest and most influential connectivity events, with presentations during the event historically affecting share prices of participating companies.

Additionally, other events to watch include Apple’s annual shareholder meeting, Oculis Holding’s in-person Research and Development (R&D) Day in New York City, BWX Technologies’ Investor Day, Rayonier’s Investor Day, and Louisiana-Pacific’s Investor Day. Conference highlights also include the Wolfe Research March Madness Software Conference, Citi Annual Fintech Conference, Susquehanna 13th Annual Technology Conference, and Baird Vehicle Technology and Mobility Conference.

Earnings Releases

Several major companies are scheduled to report earnings throughout the week:

• Monday, February 26: Workday, Li Auto, Domino’s Pizza, and Zoom Video.
• Tuesday, February 27: Lowe’s, American Tower, AutoZone, and eBay.
• Wednesday, February 28: Salesforce, Royal Bank of Canada, Baidu, HP, and Snowflake.
• Thursday, February 29: Anheuser-Busch InBev, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Dell Technologies, and Autodesk.
• Friday, March 1: Plug Power and fubo TV.

Investors will be closely monitoring these earnings releases for insights into company performance and market trends.

As the week unfolds, market participants will be navigating through a mix of economic data, sector developments, and earnings reports, which could shape market sentiment and drive trading activity. Stay tuned for updates and analysis as events unfold.