A wobbly US stock market will take its cues in the coming week from a Federal Reserve meeting set to clarify the path for interest rates, and from a packed slate of corporate earnings led by technology companies and heavyweights in artificial intelligence.
Major equity indexes posted weekly declines, dragged lower by steep slides in Alphabet and Tesla following their quarterly reports.
The fallout for Google parent Alphabet, driven in part by an increase in its already massive AI spending plans, set a negative tone ahead of results due next week from other AI “hyperscalers,” including Microsoft and Amazon. Investors will be watching closely to see whether those companies can justify their heavy investment in artificial intelligence, and the broader run of reports from the likes of Apple, Visa, and Chevron will make it one of the busiest weeks of the second-quarter earnings season.
The Federal Reserve, meanwhile, is widely expected to hold interest rates steady when it meets on Wednesday, though some investors remain uncertain about the outlook, adding another layer of tension for a market already on edge.
