ECB, Family Dollar Vote: What to Watch on Wall Street Jan. 22

A stimulus package to revive sluggish growth in Europe, weekly jobless claims and corporate earnings will all take center stage on Thursday, January 22nd. The European Central Bank announces its broad-based government bond purchases after holding its first policy meeting of the year. The Governing Council has debated various forms of quantitative easing as deflation risks increase in the eurozone. Economists predict the ECB will keep interest rates unchanged. The rate announcement is scheduled for 7:45 a.m. eastern. In the U.S., shareholders of Family Dollar Stores (FDO) will vote on a proposed acquisition by Dollar Tree (DLTR). A decision on the deal has been delayed twice so far. Investors have also been considering a higher bid from Dollar General (DG). On the earnings front, wireless carrier Verizon (VZ) is scheduled to post its numbers before the opening bell. Results from coffee chain Starbucks (SBUX) and Capital One Financial (COF) are due out after the market closes. On the economic calendar, we note weekly jobless claims, the home price index, and the EIA Petroleum Status Report. TheStreet's Kurumi Fukushima reports from New York.