At 7:30 a.m. CST Tuesday, the U.S. Labor Department will release its employment cost index for the fourth quarter, a factor for the Fed to consider in this week's meeting. At 9 a.m., the Conference Board's index of U.S. consumer confidence will be out, followed by USDA's Jan. 1 cattle inventory at 2 p.m., anticipating a 3% or 4% annual decline.
Weather
A sharp cold front remains across the southern states on Tuesday, which will continue to be active. Showers are already moving through this morning and more will develop later today from Texas and Oklahoma eastward to Virginia and points south. Behind the front it is very cold with another day of well below-normal temperatures. The cold will cause another day of freezing rain, snow, and sleet accumulation in some areas of the South-Central states.