Overview of Key Economic Events and Corporate Reports for the Week of 23 February - 1 March 2026: EU Sanctions, New 15% Global Tariff by the US, CPI and PPI Inflation, Earnings Season for Nvidia, Banks and IT Companies, OPEC+ Meeting. Analysis for Investors.
The week of 23 February - 1 March 2026 presents multiple drivers for global markets: trading restrictions and tariff agenda from the US, sanctions from the European Union against Russia, a block of data on inflation and business activity, along with a busy earnings season. For investors, the key question of the week is how quickly these trade measures and sanctions will begin to reflect in inflation, supply chains, company margins, and central bank rate expectations.
Special attention will be directed towards the technology sector and the artificial intelligence market (Nvidia's reports and those from cloud companies), the consumer market (Home Depot, Lowe’s), the financial sector (large banks in North America), and the Russian market, where trading continues as normal. Geographically, this week is significant for the US, Europe, and Russia, while the week starts in Asia against the backdrop of holidays in the region's major economies.
Monday, 23 February: Holidays in Asia, EU Sanctions, and the Start of Earnings Week
- China: No trading (New Year).
- Japan: No trading (Emperor’s Birthday).
- Europe and Russia: Expecting a decision on the 20th package of EU sanctions against Russia (sectoral risks for raw materials, logistics, insurance, settlements, and compliance).
- Russia: Trading continues (Moscow Exchange and St. Petersburg Exchange) — heightened sensitivity to sanction headlines and currency dynamics.
- US: Chicago Fed National Activity Index (January) — 16:30 MSK.
- US: Factory Orders (December) — 18:00 MSK.
- ECB: Speech by ECB President Christine Lagarde — 20:30 MSK.
Corporate Reports (Focus of the Day)
- US (Major/Notable Issuers): Domino’s Pizza, Keysight Technologies, Diamondback Energy, ONEOK, BWX Technologies, Hims & Hers, Freshpet, Axsome Therapeutics, Ovintiv.
- Market Commentary: The combination of reports in the consumer sector, industry/defense, and energy sets the tone for risk at the beginning of the week and shapes expectations ahead of the peak in technology reporting.
What to Watch For Investors: Market reaction to the potential EU sanctions package and signals from Lagarde are more significant than individual macro-publications. In equities, assess whether the rotation between “quality growth” and cyclical sectors is intensifying against the backdrop of trade risks and rate expectations.
Tuesday, 24 February: US Global Tariff of 15%, China’s LPR, and Retail/Platform Reports
- US: A new 15% global tariff comes into effect on all countries — risk of renewed inflationary acceleration for goods, pressure on importers and industries with a high proportion of foreign components.
- US: Donald Trump's speech before both houses of Congress (annual State of the Union address and administration plans) — possible clarifications on trade and fiscal policy.
- China: LPR (Loan Prime Rate) — 04:15 MSK.
- US: ADP Employment (weekly publication) — 16:15 MSK.
- US: S&P/Case-Shiller (December) — 17:00 MSK.
- Bank of England: Speech by Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey — 17:15 MSK.
- US: Consumer Confidence (February) — 18:00 MSK.
- US: Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index (February) — 18:00 MSK.
- ECB: Speech by Lagarde — 20:45 MSK.
- Oil (US): API Inventories — 00:30 MSK.
Corporate Reports (All Key Public Companies of the Day)
- US: Home Depot (an important consumer and housing repair cycle indicator), AMC Entertainment, MercadoLibre (Latin America, e-commerce/fintech), Axon Enterprise, Workday, DigitalOcean.
- Canada: Preliminary focus on the financial sector ahead of the block of banking reports later in the week.
- Market Commentary: The combination of Home Depot and IT platforms (Workday) helps investors assess the resilience of household expenditure and corporate budgets on software under tariff pressure.
What to Watch For Investors: US trade policy and the tone of the Congressional address may create momentum for the dollar, yields, and commodity prices. In reports, compare margins and forecasts from companies most reliant on imports and logistics.
Wednesday, 25 February: Australia’s Rate Decision, Eurozone CPI and the "Peak" of Technology Reports
- Australia: RBA rate decision — 03:30 MSK.
- Germany: GDP (Q4 2024) — 10:00 MSK.
- Eurozone: CPI (January) — 13:00 MSK.
- Oil (US): EIA Inventories — 18:30 MSK.
- Russia: CPI (weekly estimate) — 19:00 MSK.
Corporate Reports (Largest Issuers of the Day)
- US: Nvidia (a key benchmark for AI infrastructure demand), Salesforce, Lowe’s, TJX Companies, Snowflake, Synopsys, Agilent Technologies.
- Market Commentary: Nvidia's results and those of related companies along the "semiconductors → software/cloud → corporate budgets" chain could define the dynamics of the technology sector and risk appetite in the global portfolio.
What to Watch For Investors: The combination of Eurozone CPI and US technology reports may simultaneously influence rate expectations and growth multiples. In reports, prioritize revenue forecasts, client capital expenditures (capex), delivery timelines, and comments on pricing policies.
Thursday, 26 February: Geneva Negotiations, US Jobless Claims, and a Strong Block of Banking/IT Reports
- Geneva: Possible US-Iran negotiations (a risk factor for oil) and the agenda regarding Ukraine (geopolitical premium in raw materials and currency markets).
- ECB: Speech by Lagarde — 11:30 MSK.
- Eurozone: Consumer Confidence (February) — 13:00 MSK.
- Eurozone: Consumer Inflation Expectations (February) — 13:00 MSK.
- US: Initial Jobless Claims — 16:30 MSK.
- Gas (US): EIA Inventories — 18:30 MSK.
- US: KC Fed Manufacturing Index (February) — 19:00 MSK.
Corporate Reports (All Key Public Companies of the Day)
- US: Dell Technologies, Intuit, Baidu, Warner Bros. Discovery, Zscaler, Duolingo, CoreWeave.
- Canada: Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto-Dominion, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.
- Russia: Sberbank (for investors in MOEX — an important benchmark for banking margins, credit quality, and dividend expectations).
- Market Commentary: The combination of banks (credit cycle), cybersecurity (Zscaler), IT financial infrastructure (Intuit), and hardware (Dell) provides a broad view of corporate demand state and income quality.
What to Watch For Investors: In the oil and gas market — risk reaction to Geneva and weekly inventories. In reports — banks' dynamics of reserves and net interest margin are critical, while for IT — customer retention, ARR/subscription growth, and customer acquisition costs are key metrics.
Friday, 27 February: GDP Data from Switzerland, India, and Canada, US PPI and Final Macrosignals of the Week
- Switzerland: GDP (Q4 2025) — 11:00 MSK.
- Russia: Annual government report in the State Duma (fiscal priorities, state programmes, impact on industries and the OFZ market).
- India: GDP (Q4 2025) — 13:30 MSK.
- Canada: GDP (Q4 2025) — 16:30 MSK.
- US: PPI (January) — 16:30 MSK.
- US: Chicago PMI (February) — 17:45 MSK.
Corporate Reports (Focus of the Day)
- US/Globally: Reports continue across a wide range of issuers (especially in the energy, small/mid-cap, and cyclicals segments), but the main "heavyweight" agenda of the week has already been revealed in reports from Tuesday to Thursday.
What to Watch For Investors: US PPI is one of the key indicators of "input prices" for companies and potential pressure on consumer inflation. The combination of PPI and GDP data from Canada/India is important for assessing global demand and the “soft landing” scenario.
Saturday, 28 February: Weekend and Reporting Guidelines
- Earnings Season: Individual companies may report results outside the standard trading windows. Investors should check corporate releases related to their portfolios and consider potential analyst forecast revisions after the week's close.
- US: Berkshire Hathaway (often reports results on weekends) — an indicator of profit quality in insurance and investment portfolios.
Sunday, 1 March: OPEC+ Meeting and Portfolio Adjustment for March
- OPEC+: Meeting — a potential driver for oil prices, inflation expectations, and currencies of commodity economies.
OPEC+ decisions are significant not only for oil quotes but also for inflation trajectories and rate expectations in both importing and exporting countries. For portfolios, this could impact allocations between energy, transport, consumer sectors, and bonds.
Conclusion: Key Takeaways and Practical Guidance for Investors
- The Main Macro Risk of the Week — intensification of US trade barriers (15% tariff) and the EU sanctions agenda: both factors could rapidly translate into inflationary pressure and a reassessment of rate expectations.
- Technology Focus — Nvidia's report and the group of cloud/software companies: the market will evaluate not only current numbers but also the quality of forecasts, demand for AI infrastructure, and resilience of corporate budgets.
- The Consumer and Housing Sector — Home Depot and Lowe’s in conjunction with housing index and consumer confidence provide a practical picture of demand in the US.
- The Financial Sector — The block of reports from major North American banks and Sberbank is essential for assessing the credit cycle, reserves, and net interest margin against changing inflation.
- Commodities — US oil/gas inventories and the OPEC+ meeting create a short-term corridor for oil, and thus for inflation and the energy sector's stocks.
During the week of 23 February - 1 March 2026, investors should maintain their focus on the interplay between "policy → inflation → rates → multiples", while in earnings, attention should be paid to forecasts, margins, and management comments on tariffs, supply chains, and capital expenditures. This combination of factors will determine whether the market continues to support risk assets or shifts towards defensive allocation.
