US Equity Investors to Focus on Mag-7 Earnings, Possibility of Iran War Resolution This Week
US equity investors will focus on mega-cap earnings this week alongside geopolitical developments, especially any possibility of a deal to end the Iran war.* Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), Meta Platforms (META), and Apple (AAPL), five out of the seven so-called Magnificent-7 companies will report quarterly earnings this week alongside scores of others. Last week, Intel's (INTC) blowout Q1 reflected the scale of demand for artificial intelligence-related products and services, boosting the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite to record highs.* US President Donald Trump on Sunday reportedly said Iranian authorities "can call" if they want to talk, while reiterating the war could "come to an end very soon." This statement from Trump comes after the president canceled his envoys' trip to Pakistan over the weekend to negotiate a peace deal with Iran.* In the absence of any face-to-face discussions in Pakistan, Iran offered a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war, Axios cited a US official and two people with knowledge of the matter in a news report. That proposal, however, includes postponing nuclear negotiations between the two countries, according to the Axios report.* Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is in Russia ahead of a meeting with President Vladimir Putin to discuss the conflict with the US, after Tehran's top diplomat visited with key mediators Pakistan and Oman over the weekend, CNN reported Monday.* The Federal Reserve on Wednesday is certain to keep the federal funds range unchanged at 3.5% to 3.75%, according to the CME FedWatch tool.* Data due this week includes the personal consumption expenditures price index, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge for March, the ISM survey on manufacturing and services activity in April, the Q1 employment cost index, the Q1 gross domestic product advance estimate, and durable goods orders for March.
