What to Watch in the Day Ahead - Thursday, March 19

The Federal Reserve Board is scheduled to hold an open meeting to discuss proposals to revise its capital requirements for the largest, most internationally active banks and its requirements for other large banks, as well as to make adjustments to the surcharge for U.S. global systemically important banks (1000/1400).

On the U.S. economic front, the Labor Department will release its weekly jobless claims report. Initial claims for unemployment benefits probably rose by 2,000 to 215,000 for the week ended March 14. Continued jobless claims likely remained the same at 1.850 million for the week ended March 7. Meanwhile, the Census Bureau is likely to show that new home sales fell to an annualized rate of 720,000 units in January from 745,000 units in December. The bureau is also likely to release wholesale sales data, which probably rose 0.3% in January, after rising 1% in the prior month. Additionally, the Philadelphia Fed business index is likely to show a reading of 10 for March.

Accenture is expected to report its second-quarter results, with results likely to reflect demand for cloud and AI-related work, as well as support from recent deal activity. Investors will be watching the update for evidence that rising interest in advanced AI projects can help sustain growth and margins, even as discretionary spending remains uneven.

Global parcels firm FedEx is set to post its third-quarter earnings. Analysts remain cautious on the company's fourth-quarter outlook, citing pressure from higher fuel costs, operational challenges in international markets and a shift by customers toward lower-cost shipping options.

Darden Restaurants is expected to post its third-quarter earnings. Investors will watch for comments on demand and traffic trends, the impact of inflation, margin recovery, and any updates on forecasts that the company provides.

Elsewhere, Canada's CFIB is likely to report business survey data for March.

On the Latin American economic radar, Argentina's trade balance data for February is due. The country likely posted a trade surplus of $971 million, following a $1.99 billion positive trade balance in January.