Next Week At A Glance

This story features OZ MINERALS LIMITED, and other companies. For more info SHARE ANALYSIS: OZL

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

Well here we are back at 5500. At least, as I write. The ASX 200 is up around 150 points or 2.8% for the year, despite concerns over the end of the mining investment boom and the toughest fiscal budget for some time, while the S&P 500 is up 2.3% for the year despite all our agonising over the weather.

Much ado.

The jury is still out on whether the US economy is recovering as hoped or not, and as to whether the weather is the only excuse for a weak first quarter. There’ll be plenty of evidence to consider next week in the US, not the least the first revision of the March quarter GDP result. Growth was a mere 0.1% on first estimate and the revision might even turn that negative.

We’ll also see data for US durable goods, consumer confidence, house prices, pending home sales, the Richmond Fed index, the Chicago PMI and personal income and spending.

In Australia, the countdown to our one and only March quarter GDP result begins next week with construction work done and the all-important quarterly capex numbers, along with April private sector credit.

There’s a raft of data due out of Japan next week, including retail sales, industrial production, unemployment and inflation.

It will again be busy on the local stock front, not the least in terms of AGMs. Next week’s highlights include OZ Minerals ((OZL)), Iluka Resources ((ILU)) and the Westfields ((WDC)), ((WRT)).

We’ll also see result releases from ALS ((ALQ)), Aristocrat Leisure ((ALL)), Technology One ((TNE)) and Programmed Maintenance ((PRG)), and updates from Wesfarmers ((WES)) and Suncorp ((SUN)).

Monday is a public holiday in the US so expect a very quiet session tonight.
 

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