Vetted by NeuralPress's Multi-Agent Verifier for strict factual validity and event relevance. Our compliance engine cross-checks and filters search results to ensure zero false correlations or misleading content.
Primary Sources
FinancialContent - Iran War, Inflation Reading and Key Things to Watch this Week
Markets enter a critical week following Friday's Good Friday employment report that will be digested through Sunday evening futures reactions, while focus shifts to a busy economic data schedule culminating in dual inflation readings—Thursday's February Core PCE Price Index and Friday's March CPI both at 8:30am. The Iran war developments and oil price trajectory continue dominating market psychology as President Trump's 10-day warning deadline has passed with uncertainty about next steps, creating ongoing geopolitical risk premium in energy markets. Monday's ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI will provide the first comprehensive services sector assessment for March, offering insights into business activity across the economy's dominant segment. Wednesday's FOMC meeting minutes at 2:00pm will offer detailed perspectives on the Federal Reserve's March policy deliberations when policymakers confronted the impossible choice between supporting deteriorating employment and containing energy-driven inflation. Thursday delivers an explosive economic data convergence with Q4 GDP revision, February Core PCE, and initial jobless claims all releasing simultaneously at 8:30am, followed immediately by Friday's March CPI that will determine whether inflation pressures are moderating or intensifying. The week's sparse earnings calendar features Delta Air Lines (DAL) Wednesday testing airline sector health amid elevated fuel costs.Here are 5 things to watch this week in the Market.Dual Inflation Checkpoint and Fed Policy ImplicationsThe week delivers an unprecedented dual inflation assessment with Thursday's February Core PCE Price Index at 8:30am followed immediately by Friday's March CPI at 8:30am, providing back-to-back perspectives on price pressure trajectories. Thursday's Core PCE represents the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation measure and will be analyzed for evidence of whether energy-driven price pressures are broadening beyond petroleum products or remaining contained. The February timing means the data largely predates the most recent Iran conflict escalation and oil price surge, potentially understating current inflationary dynamics. Friday's March CPI will offer more recent inflation assessment including impacts from elevated energy costs that have dominated March market psychology. Both headline and core CPI readings will be scrutinized for evidence that oil price spikes are flowing through to broader consumer prices or if other categories show moderating trends...
US Retail Sales
Retail sales in the US jumped 0.6% month-over-month in February 2026, rebounding from a 0.1% drop in January and above forecasts of a 0.5% gain. It is the strongest performance in seven months, with sales rising the most at department stores (3%), health and personal care stores (2.3%), clothing (2%), sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, & book stores (1.3%), motor vehicle and part dealers (1.2%) and miscellaneous store retailers (1.1%). Other increases were also seen in gasoline stations (0.9%), nonstore retailers (0.7%), electronics and appliances (0.5%) and building material and garden equipment (0.4%). On the other hand, retail sales were lower at food and beverages (-1%) and furniture (-1%) stores. Meanwhile, sales excluding food services, auto dealers, building materials stores and gasoline stations, which are used to calculate GDP, were up 0.5%, higher than forecasts of 0.3%. source: U.S. Census Bureau Retail Sales in the United States increased 0.60 percent in February of 2026 over the previous month. Retail Sales MoM in the United States averaged 0.39 percent from 1992 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 19.30 percent in May of 2020 and a record low of -14.40 percent in April of 2020. This page provides - U.S. December Retail Sales Increased More Than Forecast - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. US Retail Sales - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on April of 2026. Retail Sales in the United States increased 0.60 percent in February of 2026 over the previous month. Retail Sales MoM in the United States is expected to be 0.30 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the US Retail Sales is projected to trend around 0.70 percent in 2027 and 0.50 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models. Retail sales report in the US provides aggregated measure of sales of retail goods and services over a period of a month. There are thirteen major types of retailers: Motor vehicle & parts dealers (20% of total sales), Nonstore retailers (17%), Food services & drinking places (14%), Food & beverage stores (12%), General merchandise stores (10%), Gasoline stations (7%), Building material & garden equipment dealers (6%), Health & personal care stores (5%), Clothing & clothing accessories stores (3%), Miscellaneous store retailers (2%), Furniture & home furnis...
United States Core Inflation Rate
Bankruptcies Business Inventories MoM Capacity Utilization Car Loan Delinquency Car Production Car Registrations Changes in Inventories Chicago Fed National Activity Index Chicago PMI Coincident Index Composite Leading Indicator Corporate Profits Dallas Fed Manufacturing Index Dallas Fed Services Index Durable Goods Orders MoM Factory Orders ex Transportation Factory Orders MoM Industrial Production MoM Industrial Production YoY ISM Manufacturing PMI ISM Services PMI Kansas Fed Manufacturing Index Leading Economic Index LMI Logistics Managers Index Manufacturing Production MoM Manufacturing Pr
United States Inflation Rate
Bankruptcies Business Inventories MoM Capacity Utilization Car Loan Delinquency Car Production Car Registrations Changes in Inventories Chicago Fed National Activity Index Chicago PMI Coincident Index Composite Leading Indicator Corporate Profits Dallas Fed Manufacturing Index Dallas Fed Services Index Durable Goods Orders MoM Factory Orders ex Transportation Factory Orders MoM Industrial Production MoM Industrial Production YoY ISM Manufacturing PMI ISM Services PMI Kansas Fed Manufacturing Index Leading Economic Index LMI Logistics Managers Index Manufacturing Production MoM Manufacturing Pr
