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Do you think the Fed will raise interest rates Wednesday?

The Federal Reserve announces its next interest rate decision Wednesday, October 28. Markets are pricing in a 92% probability that the Fed leaves rates unchanged. With inflation still in focus, investors will be watching for clues about the Fed's next move in December.

Anthropic has publicly filed for an IPO that could give the Claude developer a valuation of up to $2 trillion, potentially making it one of the largest IPOs in history. The company plans to trade on Nasdaq under the ticker $ANT, with a possible November debut. Its offering price and share count have yet to be announced. When could shares begin trading, and what should investors know before the IPO? Kevin Voigt breaks down the latest dates, valuation estimates, and key details in Zacks' updated Anthropic IPO 2026 Guide. zacks.com/featured-articles/…

Which company's earnings are you watching most closely this week?

Weekly U.S. jobless claims fell by 6,000 to 194,000, coming in below expectations of 200,000. Other economic indicators were mixed: • Leading Indicators: 0.0% month over month vs. -0.2% expected • Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Index: 11 vs. 12 expected, down from 14 previously The latest figures point to continued resilience in the labor market alongside mixed signals from manufacturing and broader economic activity.

Q3 earnings season is about to get much busier, with hundreds of companies scheduled to report next week. Three more Magnificent 7 companies are on deck: • Wednesday: Alphabet (GOOGL) and Microsoft (MSFT) • Thursday: Amazon (AMZN) With AI spending and profitability in focus, these reports could provide important insight into the outlook for Big Tech.

Meta's $META latest earnings report has renewed concerns about the cost of AI investment. Despite beating Q3 earnings and revenue expectations, reporting year-over-year growth, and raising guidance, Meta posted negative free cash flow of $2.12 billion, its first negative quarterly reading since 2012. The results highlight a key question facing Big Tech: How quickly will massive AI investments translate into profits?

Could the market be approaching the end of its latest pullback?

“Timing the market can be tough. But yesterday felt overdone.” — @KevinMatras, Executive Vice President, Zacks Investment Research Thursday's selloff hit technology stocks particularly hard, with the Nasdaq falling 2.60% and the S&P 500 declining 1.21%. Stocks remained under pressure Friday, with the Nasdaq slipping another 0.2% and the S&P 500 losing 0.5%.

Meta is creating a new class of nonvoting shares as CEO Mark Zuckerberg commits to remaining in California for eight years amid a proposed billionaire wealth tax. “Meta plans to issue nonvoting shares to fund AI investments without diluting CEO Mark Zuckerberg's control,” said @andrewrocco1, stock strategist at Zacks Investment Research. Reporting by @aimeepicchi via @CBSNews. cbsnews.com/news/mark-zucker…

Meta's Q3 revenue climbed 26% to $64.6 billion, beating Wall Street expectations, while its new AI agent, Muse, surpassed 10 million accounts. The company also announced plans to create a new class of nonvoting stock as it ramps up AI infrastructure spending. “Meta plans to issue nonvoting shares to fund AI investments without diluting CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s control,” said @andrewrocco1, stock strategist at Zacks Investment Research. With capital expenditures projected at $135 billion to $145 billion this year, Meta continues to make an aggressive bet on AI. Reporting by Alex Veiga via @AP. apnews.com/article/meta-earn…

Meta is doubling down on AI, even as its massive investments put pressure on cash flow. The company raised its 2026 capital spending floor to $135 billion, while quarterly free cash flow fell to negative $2.12 billion. @andrewrocco1, analyst at Zacks Investment Research, said the increased spending wasn't surprising, particularly as Meta gains traction with its new AI app, Muse. “Zuckerberg has shown that he’s all in on winning this race,” Rocco said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if they continued to raise it.” Reporting by @elitanjourno via @nytimes. nytimes.com/2026/10/21/techn…

The Federal Reserve's next interest rate decision is scheduled for October 28, and markets are increasingly expecting rates to remain unchanged. Latest market-implied probabilities: • October: 86.2% chance of no rate change • December: 76.3% chance of rates being 25 basis points above their current level The Fed's latest projections point to additional tightening before rates stabilize. Investors will be watching closely for clues about the Fed's next move.