BlockBeats News, August 8th. Last week, the gradual restoration of traffic in the Suez Canal brought a ray of hope, leading to a sharp drop in oil prices. Coupled with an unexpected decrease in US non-farm payrolls in July and a downward revision of data for the previous two months, the market's probability of a Fed rate hike in September plummeted from about 55% to 44%. The three major US stock indexes all achieved their largest weekly gains since mid-April, while spot gold surged and rose above $4370 per ounce. Next week, as the semiconductor earnings season in the US stock market gradually comes to an end, the AI ​​technology sector remains highly sensitive to the performance reports of companies such as Applied Materials (AMAT), Cisco (CSCO), and CoreWeave (CRWV).

Attention will shift to inflation data next week. On Wednesday, the US CPI and Core CPI for July will directly test whether the rate hike expectations can continue to cool down. On Thursday, the PPI will be released, followed by retail sales and the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index on Friday. There are still internal divisions within the Fed, with Chairman Powell remaining silent. Ahead of the Jackson Hole Symposium, the market will closely monitor speeches by officials and the risk to the Fed's independence. Below is a list of key events for next week:

Monday

Bank of Japan releases summary of opinions from July monetary policy meeting

Tuesday

US ADP Employment Report for the week ending July 25th

Wednesday

CoreWeave (CRWV) earnings call at 5:00 AM (UTC+8) (following US market close on Tuesday)

US CPI and Core CPI for July

US EIA Crude Oil Inventories for the week ending August 7th

Thursday

Cisco (CSCO) earnings call at 4:30 AM (UTC+8) (following US market close on Wednesday)

US Initial Jobless Claims for the week ending August 8th, US PPI for July

2026 FOMC Voter, Cleveland Fed President Harker speech

2027 FOMC Voter, Richmond Fed President Barkin speech on economic outlook

Friday

Applied Materials (AMAT) earnings call at 4:30 AM (UTC+8) (following US market close on Thursday)

US Retail Sales for July, University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index and 1-year Inflation Expectations for August, June Business Inventories