The Week Ahead: Big Banks Kick Off First-Quarter Earnings

Jeremy Glaser: The volatility that marked the first quarter of 2018 continued apace last week as the prospect of a trade war weighed. We'll see if that focus shifts as first-quarter earnings seasons kicks off this week.

Large banks, including J.P. Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and PNC are all due on Friday. Morningstar bank analyst Jim Sinegal recently wrote an outlook for the sector, and he says there are four key themes he expects to play out this year. First is higher loan growth; the second is more expense savings; third, flat regulatory burden spending; and finally, continued but measured rate hikes. He sees the near-term outlook as positive but doesn't see many values in the space.

On the data front, the consumer price index on Wednesday is likely to be the most closely watched as investors look for emerging signs of inflationary pressure.

Stay tuned for our take on these stories.