By Liz Moyer
Investing.com -- U.S. stocks regained ground on Monday after their steep losses last week after the Federal Reserve on Monday announced it would buy individual corporate debt to keep the juices flowing in the economy.
Fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections weighed on global stocks earlier in the day, but investors were able to shrug off fears about the progress of reopening businesses.
On Tuesday, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is scheduled to testify to Congress about his economic outlook. Retail sales figures for April will also be released, and tech giant Oracle will report fiscal fourth quarter earnings.
Here are three things that could affect markets tomorrow.
1. Federal Reserve Chairman to Testify About Economic Outlook
Powell is set to testify at 10:00 AM ET (14:00 GMT) Tuesday to the Joint (NASDAQ:JYNT) Economic Committee on Tuesday on his economic outlook and recent monetary policy decisions.
Last week, the Fed left interest rates unchanged near zero and said the central bank would do anything needed to support the economy as it struggles to recover from Covid-19 business shutdowns. On Friday, the Fed said small businesses were particularly vulnerable.
On Monday, the Fed said it would buy individual corporate bonds in addition to exchange traded funds in an effort to boost liquidity in the market.
2. Retail Sales for April Expected to Fall Again
Retail sales numbers are due out at 8:30 AM ET (12:30 GMT) Tuesday. Monthly sales in April are expected to be down 8%. That compares to a decline of 21.6% in the prior month.
Core retail sales, which excludes automobiles, for May are expected to be 5.4% compared to a decline of 17.2% the prior month.
3. Tech Giant Oracle Due to Report Fourth Quarter
Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) is out with earnings on Tuesday after the market close, with a phone call and webcast scheduled for after that. Analysts tracked by Investing.com expect earnings per share of $1.16 on revenue of $10.7 billion.
The tech giant is one of the first to report a full quarter that was nearly all consumed by Covid-19 business shutdowns, so analysts will be listening for what the company says about its outlook and the progress of shifting to a cloud-based subscription sales model, which already makes up nearly three-quarters of revenue.