For U.S. stocks, Europe and Fed in driver’s seat

For U.S. stocks, Europe and Fed in driver’s seat
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) — Central-bank strategies will be the dominating forces driving U.S. stocks next week, with European policy makers looking for a high-court ruling on euro-zone bailout programs, and investors watching for word from the Federal Reserve about another round of stimulus.
Reports on retail sales and industrial production are slated for release next week, as is the expected launch of the next version of the iPhone by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) , whose share-price rally this year has contributed to a 20% run-up for the year to date in the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ:COMP) . Also from the corporate front, a midquarter update from Texas Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ:TXN) and a monthly sales report from McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE:MCD) are expected Tuesday.

But overall, as Europe’s long-running debt crisis lingers and the U.S. recovery appears stuck in low gear, the “market’s focus is right now is on the central bank of Europe and the central bank of the United States, and hoping that additional resources will be provided … that will allow the markets to continue their rally,” said Paul Nolte, managing director at Dearborn Partners in Chicago. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/for-us-stock...atest_news