All eyes next week will be on the Federal Open Market Commmittee's (FOMC) December meeting, which begins on Tuesday, and the central bank is widely expected to raise interest rates. Following the Fed's policy announcement on Wednesday, outgoing Fed Chair Janet Yellen will give a press conference. And while the earnings schedule is very thin, reports from software firm Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) and retailer Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) should get plenty of attention.
Below is a brief list of some key market events scheduled for the upcoming week. All earnings dates listed below are tentative and subject to change. Please check with each company's respective website for official reporting dates.
On Monday, Dec. 11, the Labor Department's Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) will be released. There are no earnings reports worth reporting.
The Fed's two-day meeting begins on Tuesday, Dec. 12. Also, the producer price index (PPI) and the Treasury budget come out. VeriFone (PAY) will report earnings.
For Wednesday, Dec. 13, the Fed will give its policy update, and Fed Chair Janet Yellen will do an afternoon press conference. Meanwhile, the consumer price index (CPI) and the weekly update on crude inventories are on the schedule, too. Pier 1 Imports (PIR) is the only company reporting earnings.
Weekly jobless claims come out on Thursday, Dec. 14, along with retail sales, import and export prices, and an update on business inventories. Oracle (ORCL), Adobe Systems (ADBE), Costco (COST), and Jabil (JBL) make up the earnings slate.
Quadruple witching expiration takes place on Friday, Dec. 15. Also on the schedule are the Empire state manufacturing survey, industrial production, and Treasury International Capital. The earnings schedule is bare.