Fed minutes, mortgages on tap

Today's calendar focuses on the domestic front.

Weekly mortgage applications, which have started to improve recently, get the ball rolling at 7 a.m. ET. Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell delivers a speech on the challenges of monetary policy at 8 a.m. ET.

Weekly crude-oil inventories follow at 10:30 a.m. ET and minutes from the last Fed meeting follow at 2 p.m. ET. Given the central-bank news, interest rates and currencies could be active.

Family Dollar announces earnings in the pre-market and is followed after the closing bell by Alcoa, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Pier 1 Imports.

German industrial production and monthly sales from select retailers will be reported early tomorrow. Initial jobless claims and natural-gas inventories, plus earnings from Walgreen Boots and Constellation Brands, are also due in morning. Chinese credit and inflation numbers follow tomorrow evening.


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