Meetings at the U.S. Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and Australia’s central bank top the agenda, while megacap Apple brings the U.S. earnings season to an end, as markets work through fresh banking tremors.Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell holds a news conference in Washington on March 22.The Fed is expected to deliver another 25-basis point interest rate increase on Wednesday and signal a pause in its most aggressive rate-hiking cycle since the 1980s.
Futures markets show investors pricing an nearly 90% chance of a rate increase. But confidence in a 25 bps rate hike has wavered in recent days after problems at lender First Republic reignited concerns over the U.S. banking sector.
Along with other megacap stocks, Apple has led the S&P 500′s rally in 2023, giving the company even more heft in indexes. Apple’s over-7% weight in the S&P 500 is bigger than the entire energy sector and nearly matches the consumer staples group. That has put the Aussie dollar under pressure, keeping it pinned near the closely watched $0.66-mark, even when the greenback wilted against other major peers.
Data on Tuesday will show whether house prices are indeed moderating, and if the decline in mortgage lending is stabilizing. New car sales, which in March hit 18-month highs, will also be under scrutiny.