5 May Week Ahead: FED & BOE Rate Decisions, Earnings & More

Only a few days into May, this new month has proven to be eventful, and this week is no different. 

From the Federal Reserve’s and Bank of England’s interest rate decisions to earnings reports, here are this week’s upcoming events:

Federal Reserve Rate Decision 

The Fed, the central bank of the world’s largest economy, is scheduled to release its rate decision on Wednesday, 7 May.

The FOMC’s interest rate decision is taking place amidst the political uncertainties arising mainly from US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs and pressures to lower interest rates. However, the Fed is expected to keep rates unchanged from their 4.25%-4.5% levels (according to CME Group’s FedWatch data).

Remarks from Fed Chairman Jerome Powell will also follow the report. Powell has been on Trump’s radar for the past few weeks, making many traders and investors question whether Trump will fire him from his position and what this potential shift could mean for the Fed’s autonomy. 

Besides the decision, it will be worth keeping tabs on Friday’s upcoming speeches from other Fed members, such as Federal Reserve Governors Lisa Cook and Christopher Waller, New York Fed President John Williams, St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem, Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack, and Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee. 

Bank of England Rate Decision 

The Bank of England (BOE) is scheduled to release its rate decision on Thursday, 8 May. Unlike the Fed, the BOE is expected to cut rates by 0.25% as it, among other central banks, attempts to digest the rippling effects of the trade tariffs. UK economist for Oxford Economics, Edward Allenby, stated, "The more important question is how US tariff announcements are influencing the MPC’s thinking”.

For reference, March’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) fell to 2.6% from February’s 2.8%, showing that interest rates can be lower. Moreover, services inflation dropped from 5% to 4.7%. According to Sandra Horsfield, an economist for Investec, “What makes this month’s decision easy is that virtually everything has pointed in the direction of lower UK inflation pressure.”

The European Central Bank (ECB) cut rates last month, perhaps adding to the projections of rate cuts. (Source: Yahoo Finance)

Earnings Reports

This week may be a key for stock traders as big corporations are set to report earnings, with the main ones being as follows:

Monday, 5 May: 

• Palantir

• Tyson Foods

• Clorox

• Vertex

• Ford

Tuesday, 6 May: 

• Advanced Micro Devices 

• Ferrari 

• Duke Energy 

• Marriott International 

• Electronic Arts

Wednesday, 7 May:

• Novo Nordisk A/S

• Uber 

• Walt Disney

• Arm Holdings 

• DoorDash 

Thursday, 8 May:

• Shopify 

• ConocoPhillips

Friday, 9 May:

• Honda

• Ubiquiti

It will be interesting to see what the reports will reveal about the health of these companies. 

More Reports to Keep in Mind

Besides all of the above, traders may want to keep track of the following:

Monday, 5 May:

• US S&P Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)

• US ISM Services PMI

Tuesday, 6 May:

• China Caixin Services PMI

• China Caixin Composite PMI 

• Spain Unemployment Change 

• Spain HCOB Services and Composite PMIs

• France HCOB Services and Composite PMIs 

• Germany HCOB Services and Composite PMIs

• UK New Car Sales 

• UK S&P Global Composite and Services PMIs

• Eurozone Producer Price Index (PPI)

Wednesday, 7 May:

• Japan Jibun Bank Services and Composite PMIs

• France Balance of Trade 

• Italy Retail Sales (Source: Trading Economics)

Conclusion 

All in all, this week seems to be eventful for traders, analysts, and consumers. Key reports emerge from the world’s leading economies, providing a clearer picture of the economic landscape amidst rising uncertainties and volatility. 

*Past performance does not reflect future results.