What to Watch in the Day Ahead - Tuesday, April 15

Bank of America is expected to report a drop in first-quarter profit, as the bank shored up more money in its loan loss provisions to guard against potential loan defaults in a volatile economy. In contrast, Citigroup's first-quarter profit is expected to have jumped, and investors will look out for executives’ commentary on tariffs and economic forecasts.

When Johnson & Johnson reports first-quarter results before markets open, investors will closely watch for any changes to the company's 2025 profit and revenue forecast, as well as details on its planned $55 billion investment in U.S. expansion. Focus will also be on impact to its medical device business from the U.S.-China tariff war.

On the U.S. economic calendar, import prices for March are projected to be unchanged, after rising 0.4% in February. Export prices likely inched up 0.1% last month, same as in February. Separately, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Empire State manufacturing index will likely show a reading of negative 14.5. The March reading was a negative 20.

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Thomas Barkin is due to speak on the economy at the University of North Carolina. (1135/1535) Separately, Fed Board Governor Lisa Cook is slated to attend an event at the Cal Alumni Club of Washington, D.C. (1910/2310)

United Airlines is expected to report a profit in the first quarter, but the focus will be on booking trends for summer travel and the outlook for the rest of the year amid mounting economic uncertainty. Two major U.S. airlines have already withdrawn their full-year guidance, citing a pullback in travel spending.

Albertsons is expected to post a rise in fourth-quarter revenue, helped by robust demand for groceries and other essentials. Investors will watch out for comments on consumer sentiment for the year, as well as on the company's lawsuit with Kroger on their botched merger.

Canada’s economic calendar for the day includes the crucial inflation reading for March. The country’s annual inflation rate likely remained unchanged from the previous month at 2.6%. On a month-on-month basis, the inflation is expected to be 0.6%. Meanwhile, manufacturing sales for February are expected to drop 0.2%, in contrast to a 1.7% rise in January. Additionally, Statistics Canada will release housing starts numbers, which is forecast to have jumped to an annualized rate of 242,500 units in March, compared to 229,000 units in February.

In Latin America, Brazil’s IGP-10 inflation index reading for April is scheduled for release, which is estimated to show a 0.27% decline, compared to a modest 0.04% rise in March.