What To Expect in the Markets This Week

Trading hours will be shortened this week with the Thursday national day of mourning for former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, which will close stock markets and federal agencies for the day, and some bond markets early. Several events on that day’s calendar were rescheduled, with other changes possible.

Investors will be tuned in Friday for the U.S. jobs report for December, with private-sector employment data coming earlier in the week. On Wednesday, minutes for the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting in December will shine a light on officials’ deliberations on interest rates. Federal Reserve Govs. Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, along with Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker and Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid, are among this week’s scheduled speakers.

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) will release its December services sector Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) on Tuesday, while the Fed is scheduled to release consumer credit data on Wednesday. U.S. trade deficit data and preliminary December consumer sentiment survey results are also coming this week.

Delta Air Lines (DAL) will be releasing its quarterly earnings report this week, along with Jefferies Financial (JEF), Albertsons (ACI), and Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA).

Monday, Jan. 6

• Factory orders (November)
• Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook delivers remarks
• Commercial Metals (CMC) reports earnings

Tuesday, Jan. 7

• U.S. trade deficit (November)
• ISM services sector PMI (December)
• Job openings (November)
• Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin delivers remarks
• RPM International (RPM) and Cal-Maine Foods (CALM) report earnings

Wednesday, Jan. 8

• Initial jobless claims (Week ending Jan. 4)
• ADP employment report (December)
• December Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes
• Consumer credit (November)
• Federal Reserve Gov. Christopher Waller delivers remarks
• Jefferies Financial, Acuity Brands (AYI), Albertsons Cos, and Simply Good Foods (SMPL) report earnings

Thursday, Jan. 9

• Stock markets and federal government close for memorial for former U.S. President Jimmy Carter
• Bond markets may close at 2 p.m. ET
• Wholesale inventories (November)
• Federal Reserve Gov. Michelle Bowman, Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker, Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin, and Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid deliver remarks
• ServiceTitan (TTAN) and KB Home (KBH) report earnings

Friday, Jan. 10

• U.S. employment report (December)
• Consumer sentiment (preliminary) (January)
• Delta Air Lines, TD SYNNEX (SNX), Constellation Brands (STZ), Walgreens Boots Alliance, and WD-40 (WDFC) reports earnings

Jobs Report, FOMC Minutes Highlight Shortened Trading Week

Trading will be shortened this week for a national day of mourning on Thursday to honor former President Carter.  Stock markets and the federal government will be closed, while some bond markets may close at 2 p.m. ET. More schedule changes could occur to accommodate the memorial.

On Friday, market watchers will be following December’s job numbers, which come after employers added 227,000 positions in the prior month, more than economists had projected. However, the unemployment rate also ticked higher in the month.

After cutting interest rates in three consecutive meetings, Federal Reserve officials will be closely examining the jobs data for signs of underlying weakness in the labor market. A strong jobs report, along with worsening inflation data, could give officials a tough decision on whether to cut again rates when the Fed next meets in late January.

Coming earlier in the week is ADP private-sector employment data. The Labor Department moved up the release date for weekly initial jobless claims to Wednesday.

Also on Wednesday, the Federal Reserve will release the minutes for its December meeting of the FOMC. The meeting notes will provide insight into officials’ deliberations, which included a dissenting vote on the central bank’s decision to again cut interest rates at its final meeting of the year. Investors will also hear from several Federal Reserve speakers, including Federal Reserve Govs. Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker and Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid.

Other noteworthy data releases this week include Friday’s preliminary report on consumer sentiment in December, trade deficit data and service sector Purchasing Manager Index (PMI) surveys on Tuesday and consumer credit updates on Wednesday.

Delta Air Lines, Walgreens Lead Corporate Earning Reports

Several corporate earnings reports are scheduled for release this week, including a handful that were moved from Thursday due to the markets closure for the national day of mourning. 

Delta Air Lines will report its quarterly earnings on Friday following a disappointing quarter that was dragged down by a global IT outage resulting in costs of around $500 million. However, the airline said that it expects increased travel from premium consumers in 2025.

On Tuesday, Cal-Maine Foods will report earnings as rising egg prices sent its prior quarterly revenue higher by more than 70% as strains of bird flu have helped send egg prices higher in recent months. 

The Wednesday report from Albertsons comes as it ended its merger agreement with Kroger (KR) after a federal court blocked the proposed merger between the grocery-store chains. 

Jefferies Financial Group, which operates a similar business model to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B) conglomerate, is scheduled to release its quarterly financial data on Wednesday. 

The Friday report from Walgreens Boots Alliance comes amid reports of the possible sale of the struggling pharmacy chain to a private equity firm. 

Other noteworthy reports this week include beer maker Constellation Brands, industrial chemical producers RPM International and WD-40, and home builder KB Home.