The Fed interest rate decision and policy statement arrive Wednesday at 2:00 pm, followed by Powell’s presser at 2:30 pm. High volatility continues Thursday at 8:30 am with critical Core PCE inflation and annualized GDP data alongside jobless claims. Friday features the Employment Cost Index at 8:30 am and Michigan Sentiment at 10:00 am. Monday concludes with ISM Manufacturing PMI at 10:00 am. Markets are hyper-focused on whether cooling inflation justifies a September rate cut.
Expect significant price action during Wednesday's Fed announcement and Thursday's PCE release. Traders should tighten stops on USD pairs and indices like SPY. If GDP misses while PCE remains sticky, stagflation fears could trigger a sharp equity sell-off.
Ed Liston is a senior contributing editor at TheStockMarketWatch.com. An active market watcher and investor, Ed guides an independent team of experienced analysts and writes for multiple stock trader publications.