Key Market Highlights for This Week:
Trump’s Tariffs:
Trump’s trade policies continue to cause market volatility.
The S&P 500 had its worst week in six months.
25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico have been postponed until April 2.
U.S. Economic Data:
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for February will be released.
Inflation is expected to slow from 3.0% to 2.9% annually.
These data points will influence the Federal Reserve’s rate decision at the March 18-19 meeting.
Government Budget & House Vote:
Republicans are pushing a bill to prevent a government shutdown until September 30.
The bill includes $13 billion in non-defense spending cuts and a $6 billion increase in defense funding.
Senate approval will require support from some Democrats.
Bank of Canada:
A rate cut from 3.00% to 2.75% is widely expected.
U.S. tariffs on Canadian energy imports may threaten regional economic stability.
Canada will maintain retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. despite the recent postponement.
Corporate Earnings Reports:
Oracle, Adobe, and DocuSign will release their earnings.
Trump announced that Oracle, OpenAI, and SoftBank will invest $500 billion in U.S. AI infrastructure.
Analysts warn of tech sector uncertainty and its impact on the markets.