Market Outlook for the Week Ahead

Key Highlights:

• President Donald Trump marks his 100th day in office on Wednesday.

• A packed earnings week with reports from Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta Platforms, ExxonMobil, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and others.

• Critical economic data releases include the April jobs report, inflation updates, first-quarter GDP figures, and more.

• The Federal Reserve will closely monitor economic indicators as President Trump continues pushing for interest rate cuts.

What Investors Should Watch

This week will be crucial for markets, with a heavy lineup of corporate earnings and key economic reports. President Donald Trump’s 100th day in office arrives Wednesday, adding to the political and economic backdrop as discussions around trade policies keep markets volatile.

Several major companies — including Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT), Meta Platforms (META), ExxonMobil (XOM), Coca-Cola (KO), and McDonald’s (MCD) — are set to release their quarterly earnings in one of the busiest weeks of the reporting season.

Meanwhile, investors will closely examine the April jobs report and updates on inflation, particularly the Federal Reserve’s preferred metric, as they assess the health of the economy. Other important releases include the first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP), the latest consumer confidence index, and fresh figures on the U.S. trade balance.

Key Events Calendar:

Monday, April 28:

• Earnings Reports:
  Welltower (WELL), Waste Management (WM), Cadence Design Systems (CDNS), Roper Technologies (ROP), Brown & Brown (BRO), Nucor (NUE)

Tuesday, April 29:

• Economic Data:

  • Advanced Trade Balance (March)

  • Advanced Retail Inventories (March)

  • Advanced Wholesale Inventories (March)

  • S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index (February)

  • Consumer Confidence (April)

  • Job Openings (April)

• Major Earnings Reports:
  General Motors (GM), Visa (V), Coca-Cola (KO), AstraZeneca (AZN), Novartis (NVS), HSBC Holdings (HSBC), Booking Holdings (BKNG), S&P Global (SPGI), Honeywell (HON), Pfizer (PFE), Spotify (SPOT), American Tower Corporation (AMT), Starbucks (SBUX), United Parcel Service (UPS), PayPal (PYPL)

Wednesday, April 30:

• Key Event:

  • President Donald Trump's 100th day in office

• Economic Releases:

  • ADP Employment Report (April)

  • Q1 Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

  • Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) (March)

  • Employment Cost Index (Q1)

  • Chicago Business Barometer (April)

  • Pending Home Sales (March)

• Earnings Highlights:
  Microsoft (MSFT), Meta Platforms (META), UBS (UBS), Qualcomm (QCOM), Caterpillar (CAT)

Thursday, May 1:

• Economic Data:

  • Initial Jobless Claims (Week ending April 23)

  • S&P Global Manufacturing PMI (April)

  • Construction Spending (March)

  • ISM Manufacturing PMI (April)

• Earnings Reports:
  Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), Eli Lilly (LLY), Mastercard (MA), McDonald’s (MCD), Amgen (AMGN), MicroStrategy (MSTR), CVS Health (CVS), Airbnb (ABNB)

Friday, May 2:

• Economic Indicators:

  • U.S. Employment Report (April)

  • Factory Orders (March)

• Earnings Reports:
  ExxonMobil (XOM), Chevron (CVX), Shell (SHEL), Cigna (CI)

Summary

This week is pivotal for financial markets as major earnings reports, labor market data, and inflation readings provide crucial insights into the state of the economy. Investors will also track any new policy developments from the Trump administration, particularly around trade and monetary policy, which could further sway market sentiment.