Microsoft, Tesla, Meta and more set to report earnings Wednesday

As traders approach another pivotal day for financial markets, a series of crucial decisions and economic data releases that could sway market dynamics are expected on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. The Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision and subsequent FOMC statement will take center stage, followed by the FOMC press conference. Additionally, market participants will closely monitor President Trump’s speech and the weekly EIA crude oil inventory report, which could impact energy markets and broader economic sentiment.

Major Economic Events to Watch

• 8:30 AM ET: U.S. President Trump Speaks - Presidential remarks often provide insights into potential policy directions that could impact financial markets.

• 10:30 AM ET: EIA Crude Oil Inventories (Previous:3.602M) - This weekly report measures changes in commercial crude oil stockpiles, offering crucial insights into petroleum demand and potential price movements.

• 2:00 PM ET: Interest Rate Decision (Forecast:3.75%, Previous: 3.75%) - The Federal Reserve’s decision on the benchmark interest rate, which is a primary factor in currency valuation and broader market sentiment.

• 2:00 PM ET: FOMC Statement - The Federal Reserve’s primary communication tool regarding monetary policy, economic outlook, and potential future rate decisions.

• 2:30 PM ET: FOMC Press Conference - Provides additional context and clarification on the Fed’s monetary policy decisions and economic projections.

Other Important Economic Events to Watch

• 10:30 AM ET: EIA Weekly Cushing Oil Inventories (Previous:1.478M) - Measures changes in crude oil storage at the key delivery point for U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude, offering insights into supply-demand dynamics.

Other Economic Events to Watch

• 7:00 AM ET: MBA Mortgage Applications (Previous:14.1%) - Tracks weekly changes in mortgage application volume, indicating housing market activity.

• 7:00 AM ET: MBA 30-Year Mortgage Rate (Previous:6.16%) - Provides data on fixed 30-year mortgage lending rates, a key indicator for housing affordability.

• 7:00 AM ET: Mortgage Market Index (Previous:397.2) - Covers all mortgage applications during the week, offering a comprehensive view of mortgage market activity.

• 7:00 AM ET: Mortgage Refinance Index (Previous:1,580.8) - Measures applications to refinance existing mortgages, indicating homeowner financial activity.

• 7:00 AM ET: MBA Purchase Index (Previous:194.1) - Tracks mortgage applications for home purchases, serving as an indicator of future home sales.

• 10:30 AM ET: Dallas Fed Services Revenues (Previous:0.1) - Survey-based index indicating changes in service sector revenue in Texas.

• 10:30 AM ET: Texas Services Sector Outlook (Previous:-3.3) - Provides insights into the health and expectations of the Texas services economy.

• 10:30 AM ET: EIA Weekly Refinery Utilization Rates (Previous:-2.0%) - Indicates capacity utilization at U.S. refineries, reflecting demand for refined products.

• 10:30 AM ET: Gasoline Inventories (Previous:5.977M) - Measures changes in commercial gasoline stockpiles, affecting gasoline prices and inflation.

• 10:30 AM ET: EIA Refinery Crude Runs (Previous:-0.354M) - Tracks the amount of crude oil processed by refineries, indicating demand.

• 10:30 AM ET: EIA Weekly Distillates Stocks (Previous:3.348M) - Measures inventories of distillate fuels, including diesel and heating oil.

• 10:30 AM ET: EIA Weekly Crude Imports (Previous:-0.027M) - Tracks changes in U.S. crude oil imports, indicating domestic supply-demand balance.

• 10:30 AM ET: EIA Weekly Heatoil Stock (Previous:0.279M) - Measures heating oil inventories, particularly important during winter months.

• 10:30 AM ET: EIA Weekly Distillate Fuel Production (Previous:-0.209M) - Tracks production of distillate fuels like diesel and heating oil.

• 10:30 AM ET: EIA Weekly Gasoline Production (Previous:-0.246M) - Measures gasoline production at U.S. refineries, indicating supply dynamics.

For further information and the latest updates, please refer to our Economic Calendar, here

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Investing.com -- Redwire Corporation shares surged roughly 28% on Tuesday, after the space and defense company secured a spot in a Defense Department contract worth up to $151 billion to support President Donald Trump’s ’Golden Dome’ initiative.

The Jacksonville, Florida-based company received an award for the Missile Defense Agency’s Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract.

The SHIELD IDIQ contract covers multiple work areas aimed at delivering capabilities to military personnel with increased speed and agility.

"Redwire’s proven space and defense technologies, including unmanned aerial systems, advanced sensors, maneuverable spacecraft platforms, and agent-based modeling and simulation, position us to deliver resilient, multi-domain solutions for national security missions," said Peter Cannito, Chairman and CEO of Redwire.

The company noted that the contract is a multi-award arrangement with no guaranteed revenue associated with the SHIELD IDIQ contract award.

Redwire joins thousands of vendors supporting the Missile Defense Agency contract to create new defense, aerospace and cybersecurity systems to protect the U.S. Other awardees include drone maker AeroVironment, Palantir, Firefly Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Palmer Luckey’s Anduril and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Investing.com -- Boeing plans to deliver 500 of its 737 family jets in 2026 as it increases production, no longer relying on its stockpile of previously built MAX planes.

The U.S. planemaker expects to deliver the final 737 MAX 8 model built before 2023 during the current quarter. Boeing has also reduced its inventory of vintage 787 Dreamliners to approximately five jets.

The 2026 delivery target for the 737 family represents a 12% increase from Boeing’s 2025 delivery total. The company plans to achieve this goal by increasing production at its Seattle-area factory and adding a fourth final assembly line at its Everett, Washington plant.

Overall aircraft shipments for Boeing are projected to rise by about 10% in 2026. This includes between 90 and 100 widebody 787 Dreamliner jets, which are a key source of revenue for the company.

Airbus SE, the company’s European archrival, is expected to announce its own annual delivery target in the coming weeks when it releases its earnings report.

Investing.com -- Oppenheimer upgraded W.W. Grainger and TE Connectivity to Outperform while downgrading Emerson Electric and AMETEK to Perform.

Emerson and AMETEK valuation are full, according to analysts.

Oppenheimer said it expects higher organic growth from Grainger and TE Connectivity in 2026 and 2027 than from Emerson and AMETEK, driving the rating changes.

Grainger was upgraded to Outperform with a $1250 price target, based on 25x projected 2027 earnings.

Oppenheimer said Grainger’s ability to outgrow the U.S. maintenance, repair, and operations market by 4% to 5% a year remains intact and has been sharpened through 2025, positioning the company well into 2026.

The firm also expects pricing realization to improve to more than 4%, up from about 1% in 2025, alongside margin support from a favorable gross margin reversion setup.

Oppenheimer added that Grainger’s adoption of AI is already delivering benefits, including several hundred basis points of improvement in fulfillment efficiency.

TE Connectivity was also upgraded to Outperform, with a $270 price target based on 22x projected 2027 earnings.

Oppenheimer said shares have pulled back from recent highs even as execution continues to improve.

It highlighted exposure to AI-driven data center growth, rising electric grid investment reinforced by the Richards acquisition, and supportive conditions in commercial vehicles, factory automation, and aerospace and defense.

Automotive production trends remain mixed, particularly in China, but Oppenheimer said autos are a limited driver for TE, given its positioning for outgrowth tied to data, electrification, and e-mobility.

Oppenheimer said Emerson shares are within about 2% of its prior $152 target, with growth weighted to the second half of fiscal 2026. AMETEK shares are now within roughly 5% of its prior $230 target and trade at about 26x projected 2027 earnings, which the firm views as well within the company’s long-term valuation range.

Investing.com -- Tesla’s brand value fell by $15.4 billion, or 36%, in 2025, marking its third consecutive annual decline, according to research firm Brand Finance.

The electric vehicle maker’s brand is now valued at $27.61 billion, down from $43 billion at the start of 2025 and significantly lower than its peak of $66.2 billion in January 2023.

Brand Finance CEO David Haigh attributed the decline to Tesla’s lack of innovative new models, relatively high vehicle prices compared to competitors, CEO Elon Musk’s involvement in geopolitics, and his reduced focus on the automotive business.

Consumer perception metrics showed troubling trends for Tesla. The company’s recommendation score in the U.S. reached a new low of 4.0 out of 10, down from 8.2 in 2023. Brand Finance Valuation Director Lorenzo Coruzzi noted that Tesla’s reputation, recommendation, trust, and "coolness" scores declined particularly in Europe and Canada.

The London-based firm surveyed at least 1,000 respondents in 18 countries about Tesla. While consumer familiarity with Tesla improved in most markets, reflecting the company’s geographic expansion, its U.S. loyalty score increased slightly from 90% to 92%, indicating existing customers plan to continue driving their vehicles.

Meanwhile, Chinese automaker BYD emerged as the automotive sector’s rising star, with its brand value increasing by approximately 23% to $17.29 billion from $14.03 billion last year.

Five automakers now rank ahead of Tesla in brand value, including Toyota, which leads the sector at $62.7 billion, along with Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and Porsche.

Investing.com -- U.S. stocks were mixed on Tuesday, as investors awaited a key Federal Reserve decision and heavyweight technology earnings at the early stages of this quarter’s reporting season.

At 13:08 ET (18:08 GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1.1% to 48,873.23 points, while the S&P 500 index was up 0.4% to 6,974.88 points, and the NASDAQ Composite had gained 0.9% to 23,809.75 points.

Unitedhealth Group (NYSE:UNH) was a major drag on the blue-chip Dow, as the managed care giant joined its peers in a broad-based slump after a much lower-than-anticipated proposed increase to payments from next year’s Medicare Advantage plans. Meanwhile, Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) was also a top percentage loser on the Dow, despite the planemaker swinging to a quarterly profit. 

On the other hand, chip stocks extended their recent run, helping prop up the benchmark S&P and the tech-heavy Nasdaq. The S&P 500 at its session high scaled a new all-time intraday peak at 6,989.24 points, its first record in over two weeks.         

Fed starts policy-setting meeting

Markets are largely in a wait-and-see mode ahead of the Federal Reserve’s two-day policy meeting, which concludes on Wednesday.

This caution means that President Donald Trump’s announcement that he is raising tariffs on South Korean imports to 25% from 15%, accusing Seoul’s legislature of failing to approve a bilateral trade deal reached last year, has had little impact on sentiment.

The U.S. central bank is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged, with policymakers seen assessing the impact of easing financial conditions, cooling inflation trends, and a labor market that has shown signs of gradual moderation.

Recent data has reinforced expectations that the Fed will avoid signaling near-term cuts, as officials seek greater confidence that inflation will move sustainably toward their 2% target.

Aside for clues about clues on the timing and pace of potential rate cuts later in the year, investors will also be looking for any updates about the identity of the next Fed governor, with Jerome Powell’s tenure set to end in May.

"Rick Rieder’s odds of replacing Powell have shot higher in recent days following some flattering press reports," said analysts at Vital Knowledge, in a note. "

Rieder is currently a senior manager at BlackRock.

That said, "regardless of who gets the nod, Fed independence will remain under threat for at least the balance of the Trump 2.0 administration as the central bank is set to continue acting as a financial scapegoat)," Vital Knowledge added.

Earnings deluge starts

Away from the Fed, attention is also firmly on the upcoming earnings season, with more than 90 S&P 500 companies slated to report this week. 

Earnings this quarter have been strong so far, with about three out of four S&P 500 companies beating expectations, according to data from FactSet.

While results from tech giants Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) will likely grab the week’s headlines, there are numerous reports Tuesday to digest.

Boeing swung to a fourth-quarter profit, driven by the sale of its navigation software services provider, as well as rising jet output and stronger deliveries.

American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL) forecast 2026 profit above expectations, with the carrier buoyed by a recovery in corporate travel and strong demand for high-margin premium services.

General Motors (NYSE:GM) reported a higher fourth-quarter core profit, helped by stronger sales of its affordable crossover SUVs and pickup trucks through the year.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) forecast higher 2026 revenue, as the world’s largest package delivery company continues to reduce low-margin deliveries for its biggest customer, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), and shifts toward higher-paying shipments.

Elsewhere, low-cost airline JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) reported wider-than-expected fourth quarter losses, despite slightly exceeding revenue forecasts.

Aside from the underwhelming Medicare Advantage payments proposal, UnitedHealth also reported a slump in its earnings in its fourth quarter, as it grapples with a challenging period marked by elevated medical costs.

Gold and crude rise

Spot gold prices edged higher Tuesday after hitting a series of record highs on concerns over Trump’s trade policies and heightened global geopolitical tensions.

Anticipation ahead of the Fed meeting this week also kept markets broadly risk averse.

Spot gold was last up 1.5% to $5,083.65 an ounce, while gold futures for April delivery were down marginally at $5,118.76/oz. Spot gold hit an all-time peak of $5,111.40/oz on Monday.

Oil prices also gained, helped by supply disruptions from extreme winter conditions in the U.S.

Brent futures gained 2.3% to $66.26 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 2.4% to $62.08 a barrel.

A severe winter storm has swept across the U.S., straining energy infrastructure and power grids.

U.S. oil producers are estimated to have lost up to 2 million barrels per day or roughly 15% of national production over the weekend.

Ayushman Ojha and Peter Nurse contributed to this article