Next Week At A Glance

This story features PREMIER INVESTMENTS LIMITED, and other companies. For more info SHARE ANALYSIS: PMV

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

Tomorrow, China will release industrial production, retail sales and fixed asset investment numbers.

The ECB will now throw everything it has at the eurozone economy. Fearing there may be nothing left to throw, the market has bought up the euro, in stark contrast to the intention of ECB policy.

At its last meeting, the Bank of Japan cut its cash rate to negative. Unfortunately for the BoJ, the US dollar chose the same time to start retreating, as expectations of a March Fed rate rise faded. The yen subsequently rallied, in stark contrast to the intention of BoJ policy.

When everything is moving the same way, it is impossible to get ahead. Next week the BoJ will hold another policy meeting on Tuesday and the Fed will release its latest policy statement on Wednesday night. It’s a quarterly meeting, thus Fed forecasts and the famous “dots” will be updated and Janet Yellen will hold a press conference.

No one is expecting a Fed rate hike. But will there be one in June?

Just about everyone would like to see an RBA rate cut, except the banks perhaps. But with a GDP growth rate of 3% and strong employment, it just can’t happen. The minutes of the last RBA meeting are due on Tuesday. On Thursday, the February unemployment numbers are set for release.

It won’t receive nearly the same level of attention, but the Bank of England holds a policy meeting next Thursday.

The Fed meeting will get all the attention but next week also sees a lot of US data, including numbers for inflation, housing sentiment and starts, retail sales, industrial production and consumer sentiment, along with the Empire State and Philly Fed activity indices.

Friday night on Wall Street is the March quadruple witching equity derivatives expiry.

Friday on Bridge Street will see the quarterly promotions/relegations within the S&P/ASX stock indices become effective.

There is another round of ex-divs to get through on the local bourse next week, and also a bout of out-of-cycle earnings reports. They include Sigma Pharmaceutical ((SIP)), OrotonGroup ((ORL)), Premier Investments ((PMV)) and the most heavily shorted stock on the market, Myer ((MYR)).
 

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