Seven major central banks are set to meet, with the Fed likely to leave rates unchanged:
The Federal Reserve will announce its interest rate decision on the afternoon of March 18 (U.S. Eastern Time). The market broadly expects no change, though the dot plot may show a narrower path for rate cuts this year. Several other central banks will also announce decisions next week, putting global currency and bond markets to an important test.
The sixth round of China-U.S. trade talks will be held in Paris:
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will lead a delegation to France from March 14 to March 17 for the sixth round of trade and economic talks with the U.S. Both sides will discuss bilateral trade issues of mutual concern and continue dialogue based on the consensus reached by the two leaders.
The AI theme is back in focus, with GTC and OFC approaching:
NVIDIA’s GTC conference and the OFC optical communications conference will both take place next week, from March 16 to March 19. The market is watching for developments in next-generation AI chip architecture and optical interconnect technology. As demand for AI computing power continues to grow rapidly, demand for supporting infrastructure such as optical communications and liquid cooling is also expected to keep rising.
A busy week for tech and large-cap earnings:
A number of Hong Kong-listed companies, including Tencent, Alibaba, and Geely, will release earnings, with the market focusing on cloud business performance and overseas gaming revenue. In the U.S., results from companies such as Micron will offer the latest read on AI data center and memory demand.
The Iran situation continues to affect energy and commodity markets:
Disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have pushed oil prices higher for consecutive sessions. Even though the International Energy Agency has released strategic reserves, and the U.S. has adopted temporary measures allowing countries to purchase Russian oil already at sea to boost global supply, market pressure has not eased significantly. Rising energy prices are adding to inflation concerns and may also affect the path of global monetary policy.
Disclaimer:
The above content reflects personal views and market discussion only. It does not constitute any investment advice or recommendation to buy or sell. Investing involves risk, and readers should make their own assessments and bear responsibility for their own decisions.