The Dow Jones index continues to hold 17,000, however today's trading session heralds the official start to the US earning season with Alcoa reporting after...

The Dow Jones index continues to hold 17,000, however today's trading session heralds the official start to the US earning season with Alcoa reporting after market. On the data front we get NFIB small business optimism and JOLTS job openings - a data point we know the Fed look at. Traders will also be looking out for the May consumer credit print, which is expected to pull back to $20 billion from $26 billion in April. Much of the credit expansion this year has come from student loans and credit for autos, so it would be positive to see increased use of credit cards. In the latter stages of US trade we hear from Fed members Lacker (2015 voter, hawk) and Kocherlakota (current voter, dove), so comments around interest rates will be in focus.