This Week: Oracle earns, Federal Reserve policy update, consumer price index

A look at some of the key business events and economic indicators upcoming this week

EYE ON ORACLE

Wall Street expects that Oracle closed out the final quarter of its last fiscal year with mixed results.

Analysts predict the software giant will report on Tuesday that its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings declined modestly from a year earlier, even as revenue increased. Oracle posted improved profit and revenue for the first three quarters of its last fiscal year. The company has benefited from growing demand for its cloud computing services and AI infrastructure.

THE FED SPEAKS

The Federal Reserve delivers its latest interest rate policy update Wednesday following a two-day meeting of its policymakers.

At its meeting last month, Fed officials emphasized that inflation remained stubbornly high and signaled that the central bank doesn’t plan to cut interest rates until it has greater confidence that price increases are slowing sustainably to its 2% target. Wall Street will be following the Fed’s latest policy update closely for signals that could revive fading hopes for interest rate cuts this year.

INFLATION BAROMETER

The Labor Department releases its May snapshot of U.S. consumer prices Wednesday.

Analysts expect inflation at the consumer level rose 3.4% in May from a year earlier. That would match April’s year-over-year increase. The rate of inflation had been cooling heading into 2024, but progress has seemingly stalled. That has created uncertainty about when and how much the Federal Reserve will cut its benchmark interest rate this year.

Consumer price index, annual percent change, not seasonally adjusted:

Dec. 3.4

Jan. 3.1

Feb. 3.2

March 3.5

April 3.4

May (est.) 3.4

Source: FactSet