NEW YORK - Rattled investors are bracing for earnings from the market’s biggest tech companies, a Federal Reserve policy meeting and closely watched employment data in a week that could determine the near-term trajectory of U.S. stocks following a bout of severe turbulence.
Investors also will be closely watching comments following the end of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy meeting on Wednesday for clues on whether officials are set to deliver interest rate cuts, which market participants widely expect to begin in September. Employment data at the end of the week, including the closely watched monthly jobs report, could indicate if a nascent downshift in the labor market has become more severe.
The Russell 1000 Value index is up more than 3% for the month-to-date while the Russell 1000 Growth index is down nearly 3%. The small-cap-focusedEven strong earnings may not be enough to get the broad market out of its recent malaise, at least in the near term, said Keith Lerner, chief market strategist at Truist.
"We think they are going to stay with the script that they will be data dependent but the data has not been going in a straight line," said Matt Peron, global head of solutions at Janus Henderson Investors. Conflicting signs in the economy have included faster-than-expected GDP growth in the second quarter alongside declining manufacturing activity.
Still, the recent selloff could be seen as a healthy part of a bull market that burns off excess froth, said Charles Lemonides, head of hedge fund ValueWorks LLC.