FRIDAY FORWARD
1/25/2026 - The week ahead is dominated by the FOMC decision Wednesday (widely expected hold at 3.50-3.75%) and a massive Mag 7 earnings parade — MSFT, META, TSLA Wednesday; AAPL Thursday. Markets enter the week mixed (S&P ~6,916, -0.5% WoW) with elevated valuations (22.7x forward P/E) but exceptional GDPNow (5.4%) complicating the Fed’s path. The central tension: blowout GDP growth vs. sticky core PCE (Thursday) creates asymmetric risk for equities — strong earnings could be overshadowed by hawkish Powell. Key tell: watch Fed language on neutral rate recalibration given 5%+ GDP prints. Bellwether earnings from UNH, BA, GM (Tue), CAT, V, MA (Thu) will test “broadening” narrative beyond tech.