Tech earnings, food earnings, General Electric: 3 things to watch

Investing.com -- Stocks were mixed as investors awaited earnings reports from big technology companies, kicking off with Microsoft and Alphabet on Tuesday.

The markets were muted for most of the day as investors weighed what they would hear when a flood of results comes in this week, including reports from major consumer, industrial, and pharmaceutical companies.

Investors are also awaiting the release of some key economic reports this week, including a reading on first quarter economic output and an important and closely watched inflation measure, which is due out on Friday.

The Federal Reserve is closely monitoring corporate earnings and the data as it heads into its next policy meeting in early May just days from now. Futures traders expect the Fed will raise rates another quarter of a percentage point, but investors will be listening to what Chair Jerome Powell says at the press conference. Investors want to see if the Fed will hint at a possible pause in rate hikes after the May meeting amid signs the economy is cooling.

Here are three things that could affect markets tomorrow:

1. Tech earnings

Analysts expect Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) to report earnings per share of $2.24 on revenue of $51.1 billion, while Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is seen reporting earnings per share of $1.08 on revenue of $68.9B.

2. Food earnings

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) is seen reporting earnings of $2.33 a share on revenue of $5.57B, while PepsiCo Inc (NASDAQ:PEP) is expected to report earnings of $1.38 a share on revenue of $17.2B. Their reports follow Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO), which reported strong demand in the quarter despite raising prices.

3. General Electric 

General Electric (NYSE:GE) is expected to report earnings per share of nearly 14 cents on revenue of $13.25B.