Powell hints at rates staying high as Fed continues inflation fight

Home Depot: Investors will be keen to learn how demand for home improvement products held up in the first three months of the year amid persistent inflation and high mortgage rates. Earlier this year, the do-it-yourself retailer struck an $18bn deal to acquire speciality building products supplier SRS Distribution as part of a renewed push into the professional contractor market. Home Depot is forecast to report earnings declined 6 per cent to $3.59 a share year on year on revenues that dipped 1.6 per cent to $36.6bn, according to analysts polled by LSEG. 

Wholesale inflation: The US producer price index, which tracks prices businesses receive for their goods, is forecast to have edged higher in April — increasing 2.2 per cent from a year ago, up from 2.1 per cent in March. The core reading, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, is forecast to remain flat at 2.4 per cent.  

Fedspeak: Fed chair Jay Powell will participate in a moderated discussion in Amsterdam with Klaas Knot, president of the Netherlands’ central bank. Fed governor Lisa Cook will speak on growth and change at community development institutions at an event hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.