© By Noreen Burke Investing.com — Earnings season kicks into high gear over the coming week, but concerns about continued high inflation, an aggressive Federal Reserve and uncertainty posed by the war in Ukraine are likely to continue to dominate market sentiment . Investors will be watching closely Thursday’s comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell in what will be his last public appearance ahead of the Fed meeting in May. Meanwhile, oil prices remain in the spotlight amid reports that the European Union is considering a phased ban on Russian oil imports. Here’s what you need to know to start your week. Powell Speech Fed Chair Jerome will speak at the Spring International Monetary Fund on Thursday and later in the day will participate in a panel discussion on the global economy with European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and other central bank policymakers. The Fed raised rates by a quarter of a percentage point at its March meeting and has since announced another half-point move in May. Many Wall Street analysts and investors believe the Fed has not acted fast enough to fight high inflation and are now anticipating more aggressive rate hikes as the central bank catches up. Data from last week showed consumer prices were at 8.5% in March, the fastest annual increase since 1981. Several other Fed officials are also due to appear this week, including St. Louis Fed President James, Chicago Fed President Charles and San Francisco Fed President Mary. Earnings With the earnings season kicking into high gear, several Dow blue chips will be reported in the coming week, including the healthcare giant (NYSE:), the staple reliable (NYSE:), (NYSE:) and (NYSE:). Investors will also be looking at the earnings of streaming giant (NASDAQ:) after its close on Tuesday and electric car maker (NASDAQ:) on Wednesday, also after the close. Banking earnings will continue Monday with both (NYSE:) and (NYSE:) reporting ahead of the opening. Signs that corporate earnings in the US will be stronger than expected this year could bolster arguments for other market sectors, including banks, travel agents or other companies benefiting from a growing economy, or high-growth and technology names that are holding stocks for most of the world. last decade. US economic data The US economic calendar is relatively light in the coming week, with several updates on the housing market. Data on and out Tuesday, followed by an update on Wednesday. Housing data will be closely monitored with the rise in US mortgage rates in response to higher market rates. The weekly report on will be released on Thursday, along with the . Data and industry activity will be released Friday. Oil prices moved higher ahead of Thursday’s long Easter weekend with news that the EU could introduce a ban on Russian oil imports to support prices. The phased approach is intended to give Germany and other countries time to arrange alternative suppliers. The proposed EU ban will not be discussed until after the latest round of French presidential elections on April 24 to avoid harming President Emmanuel Macron’s chances of reelection. The EU has already implemented five rounds of increasingly tough sanctions against Russia since the invasion of Ukraine, but is under pressure from its allies to do more. However, the bloc is ill-equipped to deal with the economic fallout from banning oil imports from what is its largest supplier. Economic data China will release first-quarter data on Monday, but investors will likely be more focused on March numbers and a more up-to-date picture of the impact of the coronavirus lockdowns on the world’s second-largest economy. The euro-zone is due to release its final figures for March on Thursday, which are expected to confirm a 7.5% year-over-year increase in consumer prices, the fastest-ever increase. the data for February on Wednesday is expected to show a small increase. The and the are expected to release data Friday that may show some of the economic impact of the war in Ukraine. On the same day, the UK will release March data, which is expected to see a second monthly decline. — contributed to this report
