January Jobs Report Could Show Labor Market's Strength

Friday’s scheduled release of the January jobs report could show whether the labor market continues to strengthen, after employers surprised economists by adding 256,000 jobs in December , more than analysts projected. A strong labor market was one of the factors the Fed cited in its decision to keep interest rates unchanged following its most recent meeting.

Ahead of Friday's jobs report, investors are expected to get fresh data on private sector employment Wednesday, and initial jobless claims on Thursday. Also Wednesday, trade deficit data is scheduled to come after recent reports showed the balance between imports and exports widened as buyers looked to stock up ahead of proposed tariff policies.

Other releases scheduled this week include Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) reports for the manufacturing and services sectors, as well as data on construction spending, consumer credit, and the trade deficit.

Following last week’s decision on interest rates , market participants are also expected to hear from several Fed officials, including Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee, and San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly.

Earnings From Big Tech, Weight-Loss Drugmakers, and More

Earnings from Big Tech firms Google parent Alphabet on Tuesday and Amazon on Thursday could be in focus this week, after the emergence of a sophisticated, lower-cost AI model from Chinese startup DeepSeek spurred a reckoning on Wall Street about AI spending, rattling markets last week.

AI darling Palantir ( PLTR ) is set to report earnings on Monday, with chip designer Arm ( ARM ), and AI chipmakers Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ) and Qualcomm ( QCOM ) also scheduled to report later in the week.

Disney’s expected Wednesday report follows a pop in streaming services revenue in the prior quarter and news that the FuboTV's ( FUBO ) live streaming service will combine with Disney’s Hulu + Live TV .

Bitcoin buyer MicroStrategy ( MSTR ) is also scheduled to report Wednesday. The firm has significantly increased its holdings in the cryptocurrency, including a recent purchase of 10,107 bitcoin .

Ozempic and Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk is scheduled to report on Wednesday as well, with Eli Lilly set to follow on Thursday. Other major drugmakers scheduled to report this week include Pfizer ( PFE ), Merck ( MRK ), Amgen ( AMGN ), AstraZeneca ( AZN ), and Bristol Myers Squibb ( BMY ).

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