Stock Market Watch: Key Earnings, Fed Meeting, and Inflation Data This Week

The busiest week of third-quarter earnings season begins Monday, featuring reports from major tech companies Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet, alongside a Federal Reserve policy meeting and fresh inflation data. This comes as the AI-driven bull market shows signs of strain, with midterm elections and Middle East tensions adding uncertainty. Key earnings reports include Boeing on Tuesday, with focus on free cash flow and 737 Max production; GE Vernova and Alphabet on Wednesday, highlighting gas turbine demand and Google Cloud growth; and Amazon, Intel, and Starbucks on Thursday. FedEx will report an unconventional four-month period due to a fiscal year change, while Eli Lilly and Linde report Thursday morning. The Fed concludes its October meeting Wednesday, with rates widely expected to remain unchanged, though markets price a 75% chance of a December hike. September PCE inflation data arrives Thursday, with bond yields and future policy expectations as the central focus for investors.