Wall Street closes at a record for the first time since end of January
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 Thursday, January 29, 2026. The spotlight will be on the Initial Jobless Claims report, which will provide insights into the labor market’s health and could influence investor sentiment across various asset classes.
Major Economic Events to Watch
• 8:30 AM ET - Initial Jobless Claims: Expected at 206K versus previous 200K. This early economic indicator measures the number of individuals who filed for unemployment insurance for the first time during the past week and serves as a barometer for labor market conditions.
Other Important Economic Events to Watch
• 8:30 AM ET - Unit Labor Costs: Forecast at -1.9% compared to previous -2.9%. This leading indicator of consumer inflation measures the annualized change in the price businesses pay for labor, excluding the farming industry.
• 8:30 AM ET - Continuing Jobless Claims: Expected at 1,860K versus previous 1,849K. This measures the number of unemployed individuals who qualify for benefits under unemployment insurance.
• 8:30 AM ET - Trade Balance: Forecast at -$43.40B compared to previous -$29.40B. This indicator measures the difference in value between imported and exported goods and services.
• 8:30 AM ET - Nonfarm Productivity: Expected at 4.9% versus previous 4.1%. This measures the annualized change in labor efficiency when producing goods and services, excluding the farming industry.
• 8:30 AM ET - Imports: Previous reading at $331.40B. This measures the value of goods and services brought into the U.S. from other countries.
• 8:30 AM ET - Exports: Previous reading at $302.00B. This provides the total U.S. dollar amount of merchandise exports.
• 10:00 AM ET - Factory Orders: Forecast at 1.7% compared to previous -1.3%. This measures the change in the total value of new purchase orders placed with manufacturers.
• 12:00 PM ET - 7-Year Note Auction: Previous yield at 3.930%. This represents the return investors will receive by holding the note for its entire duration.
• 1:00 PM ET - Atlanta Fed GDPNow: Expected at 5.4%, unchanged from previous reading. This running estimate of real GDP growth is based on available economic data for the current measured quarter.
• 4:30 PM ET - Reserve balances with Federal Reserve Banks: Previous at $2.957T. This represents the amount of money that depository institutions maintain in their accounts at regional Federal Reserve Banks.
• 4:30 PM ET - Fed’s Balance Sheet: Previous at $6,585B. This statement lists the assets and liabilities of the Federal Reserve System.
Other Economic Events to Watch
• 10:00 AM ET - Durables Excluding Defense: Previous reading at 6.6%. This measures the value of orders received for durable goods, excluding defense-related items.
• 10:00 AM ET - Factory orders ex transportation: Previous reading at -0.2%. This measures the change in new purchase orders placed with manufacturers, excluding transportation-related orders.
• 10:00 AM ET - Durables Excluding Transport: Previous reading at 0.5%. This measures durable goods orders excluding the volatile transportation sector.
• 10:00 AM ET - Wholesale Inventories: Expected at 0.2% versus previous 0.5%. This measures the change in the total value of goods held in inventory by wholesalers.
• 10:00 AM ET - Wholesale Trade Sales: Previous reading at -0.4%. This measures the change in the total value of sales at the wholesale level.
• 10:30 AM ET - Natural Gas Storage: Previous reading at -120B. This measures the change in the number of cubic feet of natural gas held in underground storage during the past week.
• 11:30 AM ET - 4-Week Bill Auction: Previous yield at 3.630%. This represents the rate on the Treasury Bill being auctioned.
• 11:30 AM ET - 8-Week Bill Auction: Previous yield at 3.630%. This represents the rate on the Treasury Bill being auctioned.
• 8:30 AM ET - Jobless Claims 4-Week Avg.: Previous reading at 201.50K. This smooths the weekly initial jobless claims data to provide a clearer trend.
For further information and the latest updates, please refer to our Economic Calendar, here
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