Next Week(s) At A Glance

This story features SHAVER SHOP GROUP LIMITED. For more info SHARE ANALYSIS: SSG

Most market participants in Australia are preparing for a long weekend. Indeed, if this morning's harvest of out-of-office emails can be taken as a guide, today is not the day when a lot of attention goes out to the latest moves in share prices.

By the time some of us return on Wednesday, we'll have to catch up on some economic data from the US (Conference Board consumer confidence, for example) but it will be a rather quiet few days leading into the release of the regional Chicago PMI survey in the US on Friday and PMI manufacturing and services surveys in China on the weekend.

It should be quiet on the corporate front too. The FNArena calendar only has Eclipx ((ECX)) going ex-dividend on Thursday. There is always room for the sudden profit warning, of course. This morning small cap retailer Shaver Shop ((SSG)) showed how tangible the threat remains as the middle of the financial year for many an accounting department approaches. On the other hand, Aconex ((ACX)) just announced a new contract, so there definitely is room for more positive announcements as well.

Overall, this is the quiet period and most companies hugging a positive development are likely to wait until January next year, while those with a not so good announcement might want to get it out while most investors are recovering from too much Turkey and pavlova.

Markets will be closed on Monday, January 2, and there won't be too many of us around either on the subsequent Wednesday. More PMI surveys are scheduled for release on that day, including here in Australia, and in China (non-governmental version). The fed minutes of the last meeting that brought us the second rate hike in the current cycle will be released on the Wednesday. Those of the ECB will be released the next day, as well as Australia's services PMI for December.

Data releases in the US that might attract attention include ADP private sector jobs and Services PMI on Thursday, and durable goods and factory orders on Friday, alongside the December non-farm payrolls.

By Monday the 9th of January trading volumes will be at a higher level, but still many of us will not be around just yet. Japanese markets will remain closed on that day.

Domestically, building approvals (Monday) and retail sales for November (Tuesday) might move prices. US data don't get interesting until the final day of that second week in January with producer prices, retail sales, University of Michigan consumer confidence and a speech by Yellen all scheduled for the Friday.

For all economic data release dates, ex-div dates and times and other relevant information, please refer to the FNArena Calendar.

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