Stocks Are Little Changed as Investors Weigh Retail Earnings, Await Fed Minutes
Stocks were little changed Wednesday as investors weighed a mixed batch of retail earnings and looked ahead to the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting minutes release.
Target shares dropped more than 9% after the retailer reported another decline in sales. The company also announced a new CEO who will step into the role on Feb. 1. Lowe’s, meanwhile, popped about 3% after the home improvement retailer’s earnings beat expectations.
Investors are awaiting July meeting minutes from the Fed due at 2 p.m. ET. At the time, policymakers once more held steady on interest rates, but Fed Governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman dissented, marking the first time two voting Fed officials have done so since 1993.
That comes ahead of remarks from Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Friday, which investors will monitor for insights into the path of interest rates. Fed funds futures are pricing in a nearly 85% likelihood of the central bank cutting interest rates at its next policy gathering in September, according to CME’s FedWatch tool.
Related Articles
[U.S. IPO] Valuation Doubles Figma’s Pre-IPO Level — Canva’s Latest Funding Hints at Public Market Debut
TradingKey - Following the strong market reception of design collaboration platform Figma’s IPO, which has reignited momentum for software company listings, another online design platform, Canva, appears to be preparing for a potential public offering.
Two Key Things to Watch in Walmart’s Q2 Earnings: Tariff Pressure and E-Commerce Momentum
TradingKey - U.S. retailer Walmart (WMT) will release its Q2 2026 fiscal earnings before the market opens on August 21. As a key barometer of the U.S. economy and consumer health, Walmart’s results will reveal how tariffs are impacting consumer behavior and corporate profits. Another focus is
U.S. Stock Market Risk Assessment: Learning from History, Mid-Term Outlook Remains Secure
We argue that the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy is the most critical factor influencing the stock market.
Powell's Jackson Hole Speech: For U.S. Stocks, Hawk or Dove Signal Could Be a Lose-Lose?
TradingKey - As U.S. inflation and labor market data show signs of rebalancing, Treasury traders and Wall Street banks have largely priced in a rate cut at the September FOMC meeting — the first of 2025. Yet both a more dovish-than-expected tone and a potential surprise hawkish signal from Fed Chair
Eurozone Q2 GDP Commentary: Will the Euro's Upward Momentum Persist?
TradingKey - On 14 August 2025, Eurostat published Q2 GDP figures, revealing a drop in the Eurozone's quarter-on-quarter growth from 0.6% in the first quarter to 0.1%. Consequently, annual growth eased from 1.5% to 1.4%. The slowdown primarily stems from the diminishing boost from European...
