The week ahead

The S&P 500 in the US rose another 1.0% last week, following more evidence inflation is coming under control and in the wake of more solid earnings releases. Having rallied 28.1% from the lows of last October, the US index is just 4.5% below its peak from January 2022. Last week was action-packed across financial markets, and the next five days are looking extremely busy too. There are some crucial economic releases due out of the US, including the ISM indices and the monthly jobs report, both of which the Federal Reserve will be watching closely. Elsewhere on the central bank front, interest rate decisions loom in Australia and the UK. Here in New Zealand, the June quarter labour force report will take centre-stage, but we'll also get the latest business confidence figures and dairy auction results. Corporate earnings will remain in focus, with another 170 S&P 500 companies scheduled to report quarterly results. Technology will be in the spotlight again, with Amazon and Apple both set to report on Thursday. Other companies to watch include Republic Services, Caterpillar, Diageo, Starbucks, CVS Health and FMC Corporation.