The guide to the week ahead
Big Tech earnings, the Fed and GDP land in the same week
Microsoft and Alphabet report Wednesday and Amazon Thursday, the FOMC statement is due Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET, and BEA publishes Q3 GDP Thursday.
Key figure: 179 S&P 500 companies reporting, Oct. 26 to 30 (including 10 Dow components). Source: FactSet, Oct. 23, 2026.
Key points
- Microsoft and Alphabet hold calls Wednesday after the close and Amazon Thursday, the companies say.
- The Fed’s two-day meeting ends Wednesday, with its statement at 2 p.m. ET, per the Fed’s calendar.
- BEA releases third-quarter GDP and September PCE prices Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET.
- Treasury sells $183 billion of 2-, 5- and 7-year notes, plus $30 billion of 2-year FRNs.
Earnings
Microsoft reports Wednesday after the close (call 5:30 p.m. ET), Alphabet’s call is that day at 4:30 p.m. and Amazon’s Thursday at 5 p.m., the companies say (Exhibit 1). FactSet counts 179 S&P 500 companies reporting this week. With 24% of the index reported, 83% have beaten EPS estimates and blended Q3 earnings growth is 29.5%, FactSet said Oct. 23. Visa reports Tuesday after the close (call 5 p.m.); Boeing’s call is that day at 10:30 a.m. Caterpillar releases results Thursday at 6:30 a.m., and Eli Lilly’s call that day is at 10 a.m. Exxon Mobil releases results Friday at 6:30 a.m., and Chevron’s call is at 11 a.m. Apple reports Nov. 2.
Exhibit 1. Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon report midweek Report day and timing, ET
| Company | Day | Timing (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Visa | Tue | After close; call 5 p.m. |
| Microsoft | Wed | After close; call 5:30 p.m. |
| Alphabet | Wed | Call 4:30 p.m. |
| Caterpillar | Thu | Release 6:30 a.m. |
| Amazon | Thu | Call 5 p.m. |
| Exxon Mobil | Fri | Release 6:30 a.m. |
Source: company investor-relations notices. Table: New Street.
Central banks
The FOMC statement comes Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET, with the press conference at 2:30; the Fed raised its range to 3.75% to 4% on Sept. 16. The Bank of Canada (2.25%) announces Wednesday at 9:45 a.m.; 19 of 34 economists in a Reuters poll expect a quarter-point increase. The ECB (deposit rate 2.50%) decides Thursday at 9:15 a.m. The Bank of Japan (around 1.25%) ends its meeting Friday in Tokyo and hasn’t set a statement time.
U.S. and overseas data
BEA has Q3 GDP and September PCE prices Thursday, a day after the Fed decides; Census has durable goods and new home sales Tuesday, BLS the employment cost index Friday (Exhibit 2). Eurostat’s euro area Q3 GDP flash is Friday.
Exhibit 2. GDP and PCE prices arrive the morning after the Fed Release time ET; prior = latest published reading
| Day | ET | U.S. release | Prior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue | 8:30 | Durable goods orders, Sept. | Virtually unchanged (Aug.) |
| Tue | 10:00 | New home sales, Sept. | 684K (Aug.) |
| Thu | 8:30 | Real GDP, Q3 (advance) | +2.2% (Q2) |
| Thu | 8:30 | PCE prices, Sept., y/y | +3.4% (Aug.) |
| Thu | 8:30 | Core PCE prices, Sept., y/y | +3.0% (Aug.) |
| Fri | 8:30 | Employment cost index, Q3 | +0.9% (Q2) |
Source: Census Bureau, BEA, BLS. GDP at annual rate; home sales SAAR. Table: New Street.
Treasury auctions
Treasury sells $69 billion of 2-year notes Monday, $70 billion of 5-year Tuesday and $44 billion of 7-year Thursday, all at 1 p.m. ET, plus $30 billion of 2-year FRNs Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., per TreasuryDirect.
Notes
- All times are Eastern Time. The euro area moved to CET on Oct. 25, 2026, and the U.S. stays on EDT until Nov. 1, so the ECB’s 14:15 CET release is 9:15 a.m. ET. Caterpillar’s and ExxonMobil’s 5:30 a.m. Central releases are 6:30 a.m. ET; their calls are 8:30 a.m. ET and 9:30 a.m. ET.
- “Prior” values are the latest readings published by BEA, Census and BLS on their own sites. Census reported August durable goods orders down $0.1 billion, “virtually unchanged.”
- The Bank of Japan dates its statement Oct. 30 (Tokyo) and lists the release time as undecided.
- The only forecast cited is the Reuters poll on the Bank of Canada, attributed in the text. FactSet figures are the earnings-season scorecard as of Oct. 23, 2026.
Sources
- Meeting calendars and information (2026 FOMC meetings)
- Calendar: October 2026
- Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement (Sept. 16, 2026)
- Interest Rate Announcement and Monetary Policy Report, October 28, 2026
- Policy interest rate
- Bank of Canada to raise rates to 2.50% on October 28 and once again by end-March (Reuters, copy via Investing.com, Oct. 23, 2026)
- Meetings of the Governing Council and the General Council
- Monetary policy decisions
- Key ECB interest rates
- Monetary Policy Meetings (schedule)
- Release Schedule
- Change in the Guideline for Money Market Operations (September 2026 MPM)
- Release Schedule
- Gross Domestic Product
- Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index
- Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index, Excluding Food and Energy
- 2026 Economic Indicator Calendar (list view)
- Advance Report on Durable Goods, August 2026
- New Residential Sales, August 2026
- Schedule of Releases for the Employment Cost Index
- Schedule of Selected Releases for October 2026
- Employment Cost Index - June 2026
- Quarterly national accounts release calendar
- Upcoming auctions
- Securities upcoming (data service, JSON)
- S&P 500 Earnings Season Update: October 23, 2026
- Microsoft announces quarterly earnings release date (Oct. 7, 2026)
- Alphabet Announces Date of Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results Conference Call
- Amazon.com to Webcast Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results Conference Call
- Visa to Announce Fiscal Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2026 Financial Results on October 27, 2026
- Caterpillar Inc. to Announce Third-Quarter 2026 Financial Results on October 29 (PR Newswire, via Nasdaq)
- Lilly confirms date and conference call for third-quarter 2026 financial results announcement
- Boeing to Release Third Quarter Results on October 27
- ExxonMobil to Release Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results
- 3Q 2026 Chevron Earnings Conference Call
- FY 26 Fourth Quarter Results (event)
- Earnings flood, Fed meeting will test rickety AI market rally (Reuters, copy via Investing.com, Oct. 23, 2026)
- FOMCや日銀の金融政策決定会合 今週の予定10月25日〜 (week-ahead calendar)