Australian futures point to a bright start for the local share market this morning, with US indexes rounding out last week on a high. Reporting is the key theme this week, with Tesla headlining US earnings, and major commodity names like BHP and Woodside at the centre of local quarterly updates. Evergrande will also be in the news ahead of its formal payment deadline.

Economic calendar and news

The Reserve Bank of Australia takes centre stage this week as the minutes from the most-recent Board meeting are published on Tuesday. 

Australia central bank isn't likely to surprise observers given it has flagged its policy approach well in advance, but comments around the expected economic recovery may be watched more closely as both New South Wales and Victoria prepare to exit lockdowns and kick-start their economies.

There will also be flash interim data on manufacturing and services activity across the nation thus far in October. Looking abroad, numerous Federal Reserve officials will speak in the US over the coming days, while data is also set to be published regarding industrial production, housing starts, building permits, crude oil holdings, as well as jobless claims, among others. 

Last week was the first time since the pandemic began that the number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits in the US dipped below 300,000, marking a 19-month low. Those numbers suggest the recent slow-down in jobs added to the US economy over the last couple months could be due to a shortage of workers, rather than subdued demand for workforce labour.

Stocks on watch

After last week earnings reports from major US banks beat expectations, attention turns to other industries and names in the week ahead.

Reporting stocks include high-profile names like Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX), and the likes of IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Intel (NASDAQ: INTC). Tesla recent quarterly report showed the company achieved record deliveries in the three months ending September, setting it up for an action-packed quarter.Airlines are also in focus, with United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAL) and American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) reporting in the coming days, which comes at a time when the travel industry is picking up speed. On a similar note, local travel stocks have also found momentum on news that the international border will open to Australian citizens and permanent residents from the start of November. Flight Centre (ASX: FLT), Qantas (ASX: QAN) and Webjet (ASX: WEB) were among winners late last week, names likely to remain in focus as travel restarts. 

Commodity stocks have also found favour after a brief sell-off in late September, with lithium, uranium, coal and gold shares all performing strongly across the last fortnight.

One stock that might be in focus this week is aspiring zero-carbon lithium producer Vulcan Energy Resources (ASX: VUL), which entered a trading halt last Thursday. The stock will resume trading today, set to unveil information on a binding offtake agreement. It is understood Vulcan Energy has struck a long-term lithium supply agreement with Umicore, a multinational materials technology company and leading cathode manufacturer, with the contract featuring an initial term of five years and subject to extension thereafter. The deal will start in 2025, with Umicore set to purchase between 28,000 and 42,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide over the duration of the contract.Momentum has been building for a number of other stocks, with all-time highs for ALS (ASX: ALQ), Technology One (ASX: TNE), Australian Ethical Investments (ASX: AEF) and 29Metals (ASX: 29M).BHP (ASX: BHP) will provide a third-quarter update tomorrow morning, which comes at a time when iron ore prices have slumped considerably over recent months. It is not the only high-profile name to report, however, with South32 (ASX: S32), Woodside Petroleum (ASX: WPL) and Santos (ASX: STO) being a few of the others set to hand down updates.Last but not least, annual general meetings are also in frequent occurrence this week, with the most anticipated meetings likely to come courtesy of Temple & Webster (ASX: TPW), Cochlear (ASX: COH), Tabcorp (ASX: TAH), Crown Casino (ASX: CWN) and Flight Centre. AGMs are often viewed as an opportunity for companies to provide further guidance or update shareholders on trading conditions, which means the coming week could prove a price-sensitive event for some of these companies.