Trading the stock market often means planning your moves around significant events and announcements that tend to increase volatility. Knowing important stock market dates in 2023 can help inform your trading strategies. Here are the key dates and events to learn.
Outlines:
- Earnings Seasons
- Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) Meetings
- Economic Reports
- Options Expiration Dates
- Stock Market Holidays
- Key Events and Conferences
- Frequently Asked Questions
Earnings Seasons
There are four earnings seasons, each corresponding with the completion of a fiscal quarter:
Q1 Earnings Season: Mid-April through May
- Peak weeks: Mid-April to early May
- Prominent reporters: JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Wells Fargo (WFC), Goldman Sachs (GS), Morgan Stanley (MS)
Q2 Earnings Season: Mid-July through August
- Peak weeks: Mid-July to early August
- Prominent reporters: Microsoft (MSFT), Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN)
Q3 Earnings Season: Mid-October through November
- Peak weeks: Mid-October to early November
- Prominent reporters: Facebook (FB), Pfizer (PFE), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Q4 Earnings Season: Mid-January through February
- Peak weeks: Mid-January to early February
- Prominent reporters: Netflix (NFLX), Tesla (TSLA), Walt Disney (DIS), AT&T (T)
Planning your option trades before and after these peak earnings weeks can help you benefit from the increased volatility and stock price movements.
Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) Meetings
The Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee annually holds eight meetings to determine monetary policy. FOMC meetings and interest rate decisions often spur volatility and directional movements in the stock market.
Here is the FOMC calendar for 2023:
- January 31-February 1
- March 21-22
- May 2-3
- June 13-14
- July 25-26
- September 19-20
- November 1-2
- December 12-13
The FOMC meetings in mid-June, September, and mid-December will also have updated economic projections and dot plot forecasts for interest rates, making them extra essential dates.
Critical times to trade around FOMC meetings are the day before and morning of announcement days when volatility spikes up to the Fed's decisions on interest rates.
Economic Reports
Scheduled economic reports like jobs data and GDP provide insight into the economy's health and specific sectors. These reports cause market reactions as traders digest the data, so planning around the most market-moving is a valuable announcement
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Key Economic Reports
- Non-farm Payrolls – First Friday of each month. As a measure of job growth, this heavily influences Fed policy.
- GDP – Three reports on Gross Domestic Product. Q4 and Q1 GDP date TBD. Q2 GDP on July 27. Q3 GDP in late October.
- Inflation Data
- Consumer Price Index (CPI) – Mid-month
- Producer Price Index (PPI) – Mid-month
- Fed Preferred Core PCE Price Index – Last Friday of the month
- Consumer Confidence – Last Tuesday of the month
- Retail Sales – Mid-month
- Durable Goods Orders – Around the 26th of the month
- ISM Manufacturing – First business day of the month
Next Day Reactions
Some significant reports that often see more enormous impacts the day after include:
- Employment Report
- GDP
- FOMC Statements
- Consumer Confidence
We are planning after these events, planning trades for the next opening bell to capture overnight reactions.
Options Expiration Dates
Options expirations happen on the third Friday of each month. These days, there is heightened volatility leading up to the expiry, especially during the last hour of trading.
Here are the option expiration dates for 2023:
- January 20
- February 17
- March 17
- April 21
- May 19
- June 16
- July 21
- August 18
- September 15
- October 20
- November 17
- December 15
Strategies like straddles can profit from the rise in volatility. Consider open interest and volume when trading options for expiration days.
Stock Market Holidays
On holidays when the markets are closed, there are often sharp moves the following trading day as investors react to news building up while markets are closed.
The stock market holidays in 2023 when exchanges are fully closed are:
- Monday, January 2 – New Year's Day Observance
- Monday, May 29 – Memorial Day
- Tuesday, July 4 – Independence Day
- Monday, September 4 – Labor Day
- Thursday, November 23 – Thanksgiving
- Monday, December 25 – Christmas Day
Knowing holidays can help time shorter-term trades leading into long weekends when news can more strongly impact markets once they reopen.
Key Events and Conferences
Industry events and annual conferences for sectors like tech, media, biotech, and finance can drive volatility as executives preview products, make M&A announcements, and forecast growth.
Here are some notable 2023 events:
- CES 2023 - January 5-8 – Major consumer electronics trade show. Suitable for tech stock reactions.
- J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference - January 9-12 – Biotech stocks often make significant announcements at this conference.
- World Economic Forum - January 16-20 – Global leaders discuss economic outlooks. May move markets.
- Game Developers Conference (GDC) - March 20-24 – Major gaming industry event. Important for videogame stocks.
There are recurring events each quarter, like Apple and Samsung product unveilings, that are best traded once specific dates are announced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the most crucial stock market dates each year?
A: The key dates each year are earnings season months, FOMC meetings with economic projections, option expirations, and significant financial data releases like jobs reports and GDP.
Q: How do stock market events and dates impact trading strategies?
A: Major events can increase volatility and cause sharp price movements, so being aware of these dates allows you to better time entries and exits in trades and options to maximize profit.
Q: What date has the most impact on the stock market?
A: While many argue the monthly jobs report is most market moving, quarterly earnings seasons often cause the most significant volatility and pre-market reactions for individual stocks. FOMC meetings also cause volatility around Fed rate decisions.
Q: How can you stay updated on important stock market dates and events?
A: Check annual economic calendars from major financial sites, follow finance accounts on social media, set earnings date alerts on Yahoo Finance, and use broker platforms highlighting critical events on charts and calendars.
Q: Should you avoid trading around significant stock market events?
A: Not necessarily; you can profit from the volatility with the right strategies. But it's wise to be cautious trading short-term around events, avoid options expiring that week, and consider hedging existing positions.
