Weekly Reports | Feb 28 2014
For a more comprehensive preview of next week's events, please refer to "The Monday Report", published each Monday morning. For all economic data release dates, ex-div dates and times and other relevant information, please refer to the FNArena Calendar.
By Greg Peel
The local reporting season effectively ends today, at least for the larger caps. There are a few off-year large cap reports yet to come but otherwise we’re now down to micro-caps and junior miners. All up the season will go down as a good one, with beats roughly outpacing misses by 3-2.
With the reporting season put to bed, we suddenly find ourselves slammed with economic data next week. China will report its official manufacturing PMI on the weekend, while Monday brings HSBC’s equivalent along with PMIs from Australia, the eurozone, UK and US, and China’s official services PMI. The pattern repeats on Wednesday with services PMIs from the other centres, and at the end of the week China will report its trade balance and inflation numbers.
It’s a busy economic week in Australia, centring on the December quarter GDP result on Wednesday. In the run-up we’ll see quarterly numbers for corporate profits, inventories, net exports and the current account. The RBA will make an interest rate decision on Tuesday but is unlikely to waver from its current “on hold” stance.
The week also contains plenty of monthly local data releases, including ANZ job ads, the TD Securities inflation gauge, the RP Data-Rismark house price index, building approvals, retail sales and the trade balance.
It’s an important week in the US culminating in Friday’s non-farm payrolls release. Stand by for another snow excuse. Beforehand, we’ll see data on construction, personal income and spending, vehicle sales, chain store sales, factory orders and the trade balance, along with the ADP private sector jobs number and the Fed Beige Book.
If the local and US stock markets are looking for their next directional leads, well there’s plenty of fodder there.
The ECB and Bank of England will both hold policy meetings on Thursday.
Find out why FNArena subscribers like the service so much: "Your Feedback (Thank You)" – Warning this story contains unashamedly positive feedback on the service provided.
