Wednesday 3/18

The Federal Open Market Committee announces its monetary-policy decision. The central bank is widely expected to keep the federal-funds rate unchanged at 3.5% to 3.75%. The FOMC also releases its quarterly Summary of Economic Projections. The Fed is in a tricky position, with the most recent jobs report showing a decline of 92,000 in nonfarm payrolls. Meanwhile, oil is up by more than a third since the Iran war started, stoking fears of future inflation. On top of that, Fed Chair Jerome Powell's term ends in May, and his potential successor, Kevin Warsh, is still waiting to be confirmed by the Senate. Traders are leaning toward the inflation side of the Fed's dual mandate, pricing in about one quarter-point interest-rate cut by the end of the year, down from two to three at the end of February.

Micron Technology reports quarterly results after the market close on Wednesday, and FedEx follows suit on Thursday.

Thursday 3/19

The Census Bureau reports new residential sales data for January. Economists forecast a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 725,000 new single-family homes sold, 20,000 fewer than in December. The median sales price of a new home was $414,400 at the end of last year, a 2% decline from December 2024.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 13, 2026 21:30 ET (01:30 GMT)

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