Economic Calendar Of The Week - Dec 21-25, 2015

Описание: Welcome to the Investors Trading Academy economic calendar of the week. Each week our news analysts review the upcoming economic events that you should be monitoring. The countdown to the New Year is here and most markets are slowing down with traders leaving on holiday breaks. As markets volume declines and traders begin to leave on holiday vacation, investors are expected to move to safe haven assets to sit tight over the holiday. The cupboard is largely bare in terms of key domestic economic indicators or events until January 4.
There are still plenty of indicators to watch in the US, focusing on consumer spending, consumer confidence and the housing market. The influential regional manufacturing surveys are released over the next couple of weeks and will feed into the ISM manufacturing gauge released in the New Year.
US economists are forecasting modest improvements in indicators to be released over the coming days. The final reading on September quarter economic growth should confirm that the US recovery is on track, supporting the decision by the Federal Reserve to lift interest rates for the first time in almost a decade. Similarly, house price growth remains healthy, while activity and new construction in the sector remains strong. Single-family housing starts are now holding at the best levels since early 2008. It’s clear the US economy is in good shape with firm economic growth and low unemployment.
Despite most market investors and money managers have already squared their trading books in the run-up to Christmas; quite a few first-tier macroeconomic indicators are scheduled for release in the coming week.
Data on Japanese consumer prices and unemployment at the end of the week will also be closely watched, given that some analysts are still holding out for more monetary stimulus from the Bank of Japan.
In the Eurozone, the key event may well be Spain´s national elections this weekend, given the importance of that periphery economy. The political dynamics in that Mediterranean country bear a close resemblance to those in its regional neighbors.
Thus, stock markets will be trading mostly on sentiment, and while we have seen some of the post-Fed rally unwind, there is still time for markets to rally ahead of Christmas. As to the period between Christmas and the New Year, the light volumes that will prevail will make it difficult to predict whether bulls or bears will emerge with the upper hand for the final sessions of the year.

By Barry Norman, Investors Trading Academy - ITA