In the week ahead, rate announcements by the Bank of Japan and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand will be in focus. The U.S. is to publish what will be closely watched data on retail sales and consumer sentiment.
Monday, March 10
Japan is to release data on the current account, as well as revised data on fourth quarter economic growth. In the euro zone, France is to produce data on industrial production. Switzerland is to publish data on retail sales, the government measure of consumer spending, which accounts for the majority of overall economic activity.
Tuesday, March 11
Australia is to produce private sector data on business confidence. The Bank of Japan is to announce its benchmark interest rate and publish its monetary policy statement, which outlines economic conditions and the factors affecting the bank’s decision. The announcement is to be followed by a press conference. In the euro zone, Germany is to release data on the trade balance, the difference in value between imports and exports. The U.K. is to publish data on manufacturing production. Meanwhile, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney and several monetary policy committee members are to testify on inflation and the economic outlook before Parliament’s Treasury Committee.
Wednesday, March 12
Australia is to release private sector data on consumer sentiment, as well as official data on home loans. Japan is to publish its BSI manufacturing index and a report on tertiary industry activity. The U.K. is to produce data on the trade balance. The euro zone is to release data on industrial production. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is to announce its benchmark interest rate and publish its monetary policy statement, which outlines economic conditions and the factors affecting the bank’s decision. The announcement is to be followed by a press conference.
Thursday, March 13
Japan is to publish data on core machinery orders. Elsewhere, China is to produce data on industrial production and fixed asset investment. Australia is to publish data on the change in the number of people employed and the unemployment rate, as well as a private sector report on inflation expectations. RBNZ Governor Graeme Wheeler is to testify before the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee, in Wellington. The ECB is to publish its monthly bulletin, which looks at current and future economic conditions from the bank’s perspective. The U.S. is to release data on retail sales and import prices, in addition to the weekly government report on initial jobless claims.
Friday, March 14
The BoJ is to publish moneyary policy meeting minutes, which contain valuable insights into economic conditions from the bank’s point of view. Switzerland is to release data on producer price inflation. The U.S. is to round up the week with data on producer price inflation and preliminary data from the University of Michigan on consumer sentiment.