Fed rate decision and Powell’s comments; Earnings from Oracle, Broadcom

This week, the Federal Reserve takes center stage.

The US central bank is expected to cut interest rates again on Wednesday, and comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell may shed light on the Fed’s plans for 2026. US stock indexes posted modest gains last week, with the Nasdaq leading the rise.

Market watchers will also be watching earnings reports from companies including Oracle, Broadcom, GameStop, Costco, Adobe and AutoZone. Data on the trade deficit, unemployment claims and the latest federal government budget update are also scheduled.

Read down to the bottom for our calendar of key events – and something else.

Investors are awaiting an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve

The Federal Open Market Committee will hold its final meeting of the year, and many market watchers expect the central bank to cut interest rates on Wednesday for the third time in a row. Investors expect interest rates to fall to the 3.5% to 3.75% level, even as debate continues over whether the central bank should lower borrowing costs while inflation remains above the Fed’s target.

Fed officials will make their decision without reviewing a full set of economic data, as economic reports are still lagging after the government shutdown. Fed officials will not have the latest jobs report due to a data delay, but concerns about the labor market are expected to prompt the central bank to cut interest rates again.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell will hold a press conference after the meeting, where he is expected to present the central bank’s views on the economy, labor market and inflation. His comments could provide guidance on how the Fed approaches interest rates at its next meeting in late January.

Technology and retail earnings highlight the company calendar

A host of corporate earnings reports are likely to attract investors’ attention as the focus on artificial intelligence continues.

Oracle reports on Wednesday. Its stock price fell in November on concerns that the software company was taking on too much debt to fund the buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure. Also reported is AI chipmaker Broadcom, whose stock price has risen on optimism about its relationship with Alphabet, Google’s parent company, a major buyer of its chips. Graphics software maker Adobe’s report on Wednesday will provide more information about artificial intelligence sales despite a decline in the company’s stock price.

Several noteworthy retailers are also on the schedule. Costco’s report on Thursday may shed light on how the tariffs will impact the retailer, which recently announced it would sue the Trump administration over its trade policies. The AutoZone report will highlight the company’s profit levels, which exceeded analysts’ expectations in the previous quarter as it increased spending to build more stores.

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This week’s calendar

Monday 8 December

• Key Earnings: Toll Brothers (TOL), Freesia (PHR)

Tuesday 9 December

• Job Opportunities (October)
• More Data to Watch: NFIB Small Business Optimism (November)
• Key Earnings: AutoZone (AZO), Toll Brothers (TOL), Ferguson Enterprises (FERG), Casey’s General Stores (CASY), AeroVironment (AVAV), GameStop (GME), SailPoint (SAIL), Core & Main (CNM), Campbell’s (CPB)

Wednesday 10 December

• Federal Open Market Committee decision on interest rates
• Press conference by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell
• More data to watch: Employment Cost Index (Q3), Monthly US Federal Budget (November)
• Key Earnings: Oracle (ORCL), Adobe (ADBE), Synopsys (SNPS), Chewy (CHWY), Nordson (NDSN)

Thursday 11 December

• US trade deficit (September)
• More data to watch: Initial Jobless Claims (week ending December 6), Wholesale Inventories (September)
• Key Earnings: Broadcom (AVGO), Costco (COST), Ciena (CIEN), Lululemon (LULU), Netskope (NTSK)

Friday 12 December

• Federal Reserve Spokesperson: Chicago Fed President Austin Goolsbee
• Key Dividends: Johnson Outdoors (JOUT), Value Line (VALU)

Another thing

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