Business Calendar: doves vs hawks

STORY: From a market bet on more rate hikes, to mood-altering earnings for big tech, these are the top stories to watch out for in business and finance over the week ahead.

Investors are betting on another 25-basis point rate hike from the Federal Reserve on Wednesday.

But dollar bears will watch for any sign that the central bank is going soft.

The greenback has been on the slide amid signs that rate hikes could be slowing down.

Chinese markets return from a Lunar New Year holiday break.

Traders expect the mood to stay bullish following signs that health crisis concerns are easing off.

Economic data out Tuesday could show the services sector bouncing back to life after the country reopened.

The ECB meets Thursday, and is widely tipped to raise rates by half a percentage point.

Futures markets are pricing in a string of further increases at future meetings too.

But with inflation coming off its peaks, some think that more hikes might not be baked in just yet.

The same day will see U.S. eyes on the three A’s - Apple, Amazon and Alphabet.

The tech trio all report earnings, following the lackluster numbers already out from Microsoft.

Traders will watch to see if the whole sector sounds equally dour.

And the Bank of England is expected to do its tenth rate hike since December 2021.

Half a percentage point is the betting there too.

Though inflation has moderated a little, it’s still more than five times the bank’s official target.