The Weekly Calendar offers a detailed summary of the events, economic reports, and upcoming earnings reports that will influence the US and HK markets this week.

Data and Events Outlook :

US stock markets approached record levels last week, with the S&P 500 closing at its highest ever on Friday at 4,959, despite initial dips due to disappointing tech earnings from Microsoft and Alphabet and further declines after Fed Chair Jerome Powell indicated that a rate cut in March wasn't likely.

However, the market mood shifted as Meta and Amazon reported strong earnings, and a robust January jobs report, which showed the U.S. economy added 353,000 jobs, fueled a rally.

Following the latest Federal Reserve meeting, Chair Powell stated that the Fed would need more confidence in the trajectory of inflation before considering rate cuts, cooling some investors’ anticipation for a March rate reduction. The solid January jobs report further complicated expectations, revealing a 4.6% wage increase, the highest since July 2023, and intensifying worries about possible inflationary pressures.

Analysts like Jefferies' economist Thomas Simons revised their outlook, finding it hard to foresee a March rate cut given the current data, unless significant changes occur in the upcoming February figures or if inflation data weakens significantly before mid-March. Chances of an interest rate reduction in March have decreased to about 20%, a significant drop from previous estimates, according to the CME FedWatch Tool.

In the coming week, with less economic data to process, investors will be watching weekly jobless claims and updates on service sector activity for insight into the economy's performance.

On the Earnings Front:

On the earnings front, a positive shift occurred last week as prominent tech companies posted results that beat expectations, causing a turnaround from what was previously a decline in S&P 500 earnings for the quarter. FactSet now forecasts a growth of 1.6% in fourth-quarter earnings, and first-quarter earnings estimates have only been modestly reduced, less than the typical rate.

This week, investors are set to focus on a batch of corporate earnings from major companies like Eli Lilly $Eli Lilly and Company LLY$ , Disney $Walt Disney Company DIS$ , Spotify $SPOTIFY TECHNOLOGY S.A. SPOT$ , McDonald's $McDonald's Corporation MCD$ , Chipotle $Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. CMG$ , $Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Sponsored ADR BABA$ and Pepsi $PepsiCo, Inc. PEP$ , in a week with comparatively fewer economic data releases.

Further details are provided below:

Monday

HK Earnings: $CHONG FAI JEWEL 08537.HK$

U.S. Earnings: $McDonald's Corporation MCD$ $Caterpillar Inc. CAT$ $Tyson Foods, Inc. Class A TSN$ $Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated VRTX$ $NXP Semiconductors NV NXPI$ $Estee Lauder Companies Inc. Class A EL$

Tuesday

HK Earnings: $SMIC 00981.HK$ $HUA HONG SEMI 01347.HK$ $DEEWIN 02418.HK$

U.S. Earnings: $Eli Lilly and Company LLY$ $BP p.l.c. Sponsored ADR BP$ $SPOTIFY TECHNOLOGY S.A. SPOT$ $Toyota Motor Corp. Sponsored ADR TM$ $Amgen Inc. AMGN$ $Ford Motor Company F$ $Snap SNAP$ $e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. ELF$

Wednesday

HK Earnings: $BABA-SW 09988.HK$

U.S. Earnings: $BABA 03012.MY$ $CVS Health Corporation CVS$ $Uber Technologies,Inc. UBER$ $Roblox Corp. Class A RBLX$ $Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. Class A FOXA$ $Walt Disney Company DIS$ $Arm Holdings Ltd. ARM$ $McKesson Corporation MCK$ $PayPal Holdings Inc PYPL$

Thursday

HK Earnings: --

U.S. Earnings: $Astrazeneca PLC Sponsored ADR AZN$ $ConocoPhillips COP$ $Duke Energy Corporation DUK$ $Philip Morris International Inc. PM$ $Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. TTWO$ $Pinterest PINS$

Friday

HK Earnings: --

U.S. Earnings: $PepsiCo, Inc. PEP$ $Newell Brands Inc NWL$ $AMC Networks Inc. Class A AMCX$

As for IPOs:

In the Hong Kong stock market, there will be no new listings this week.

In the US stock market, it is expected that 7 new listings will be launched this week: $Elate Group, Inc. ELGP$ $Ryde Group Ltd. RYDE$ $Amphitrite Digital AMDI$ $American Healthcare REIT, Inc. AHR$ $Fortegra Group (The) FTG$ $Kyverna Therapeutics KYTX$ $Trident Digital Tech Holdings TDTH$

However, it is important to note that IPO timing in the US can change at any time, whether advanced or delayed. Investors should continue to follow relevant news closely.

Please stay tuned for all the latest updates and insights on market movements as the week unfolds.

Have a great trading week!

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