The first week of the month means one thing, and that is the return of a raft of high importance events for the markets to sink their teeth into. Within the US in particular, the likes of the jobs report means we are set for a highly volatile week in the markets. In the UK, the main release of the week arrives on Wednesday with the services PMI figure. Meanwhile in the eurozone it is a little quieter, where the ECB rate decision on Thursday is the major event of note.
In Asia, the Chinese manufacturing PMI figure is likely to dominate the week’s affairs when released on Sunday. Meanwhile the Australian week looks alot more busy where the major event looks to be the GDP release.
[B]US[/B]
A big week for the US, where almost every day sees a top tier release which has the potential to shake up the markets. Among these, the major events to look out for are the various jobs releases, the GDP figure, and the consumer sentiment index on Friday.
The most important of all these releases is no doubt Friday’s non-farm payroll figure, coupled with the unemployment rate. The non-farm payroll release is widely seen as the most consistent provider of market volatility and this week is no different. Given the question marks surrounding the possible tapering of asset purchases by the Fed, the jobs data is more relevant than ever in deciding how the markets will move. The FOMC will have their final meeting of 2013 later this month and should these releases come in negatively it would bring substantial doubts to the possibility of a taper. The non-farm payroll figure is expected to fall somewhat to 184k from last months strong figure of 204k. Should we see that figure, it would not be particularly poor, but I doubt it would suffice for a taper later in the month. Thus I would be hoping for a number over 200k to take the markets by surprise. On the other hand, a number below 170k or so would probably push towards a more bullish outlook for equity markets owing to the association with a possible non-taper scenario.
The unemployment rate is a similar story in terms of how it can affect the markets. On this occasion we are expecting to see a fall to 7.2%, following last months rise to 7.3%. The key number to follow should this occur is the participation rate, which currently lies at 62.8% of the population. The continued deterioration in the proportion of participants in the labour market shows that a fall in the unemployment rate can be explained by negative labour force factors, reducing the chance of a taper later in the month. Thus should we see a fall in this figure, check the participation rate and only if that has risen should we take it as a positive sign for the economy.
Earlier in the week there are some of the lesser employment figures which can still provide notable volatility in the markets. On Wednesday, the ADP non-farm payroll figure is released, which acts as a precursor to the headline number on Friday. These two figures have proved to be anything other than correlated down the years, which is in part due to the ADP focus upon the private sector, thus failing to include public employment. That being said, this is still a key release and will provide yet another indication of the job market health for the FOMC to pick over. Market expectations point towards an improvement in the figure towards 165k, following a particularly poor October where the number was closer to 130k. Dont forget to also keep an eye out for the weekly initial jobless claims figure on Thursday, which expected to rise from 316k to 322k.
On Thursday, the preliminary US GDP figure is released. Of course the GDP measure is one of the most wide-ranging methods of gauging the strength and growth of an economy. However, this is the second estimate for Q3 and thus typically has a somewhat lessened degree of change than when we are comparing to a different quarter. On this occasion, the market forecasters are expecting to see a figure around 2.9%, a marginal increase from the 2.8% seen last month.
Finally on Friday, the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index is released, providing the latest insight into the mindset of the US consumers. Following the deadlock in congress in October, we are hoping to see a further pickup after the considerable shock to this figure over the past two months. The expectation is that we will see a rise to around 76.2 from 75.1, however I believe this could be somewhat undershot and I am hoping for a somewhat higher figure around 78.0. That being said, there are high expectations of a positive move in this figure, especially after the November number was revised by 1.6. Thus should we see a fall below 75.1, we could see a big shock in the markets.
[B]UK[/B]
Another big week in the UK economy, where the PMI releases in the early part of the week give way to the BoE monetary policy decision on Thursday. The first release comes on Monday, with the manufacturing PMI figure due in the morning. The importance of the manufacturing sector is becoming increasingly clear, where the over-reliance upon the services sector means that diversification of exports and business within the UK is required for future stability of the economy. Market expectations point towards a rise from 56.0 to 56.3, yet given the weaknesses shown in this measure over the last two months there is alot less confidence of a strong reading.
On Tuesday, the construction PMI figure comes to the fore. The strength of housing brings a positive feeling to demand within the construction industry. That being said, the market forecasts point towards a fall in this figure from 59.4 to 59.0 this month. Given the perceived strength of the housing market, I believe there is a possibility we could see this confound the markets, yet with the current level being the highest reading since April 2007, it may be one step too far.
Finally, the most important of the three is the services PMI release, due on Wednesday. The services sector is the dominant driver of the UK economy and for that reason, a strong services sector is paramount to a strong UK economy. Unlike the other two PMI releases, this figure has barely suffered a setback, beating expectations on 9 out of the last 10 occasions. The markets are looking to see a drop back towards the 62.1 level after a reading of 62.5 last month. However I am hoping to see a rise in this figure to confound forecasters, yet given this is currently higher than pre-recession levels, it too may be time for the services sector PMI figure to give some of its ground away.
Another major event of note in the UK comes on Thursday when the BoE release their latest monetary policy decision. There is not much expected in terms of change given that the forward guidance standpoint taken by Mark Carney and co is centered around stability in the market. Generally this is seen as stability in the provision of accommodative policy for an extended period, ruling out any reductions. However, given that the UK economy has been performing well and potential bubbles such as the housing market have been arising, there will a very low possibility of a rise in either the interest rates or asset purchases. That being said, this is a major release and as such traders will be keeping an eye on it.
[B]Eurozone[/B]
A somewhat quieter week in the eurozone, however we still have a few events to look out for, with a raft of PMI data due out in the early half of the week, followed by the latest ECB monetary policy decision on Thursday.
On Monday we see the manufacturing PMI figures released for all the major economies of the eurozone. Given that these will be provided within very close proximity (5 countries within 30 minutes), much of the emphasis will be upon a general sentiment associated with the figures. The two major numbers to watch out for are the Germany and eurozone, both of which are expected to rise to some extent. The German figure in particular is forecast to rise by 0.8 to 52.5. I would say that generally, keep an eye on those two figures as the major possible market movers. If neither of these particularly move far from estimates then people will be looking for an overall movement of the five releases. Wednesday’s services PMI figures will be a similar story. Only difference is that the eurozone figure is widely expected to fall, with the German figure forecast to spike higher.
On Thursday, the ECB comes back into view, with the latest monetary interest rate decision due from Mario Draghi. Last month saw a shock reduction in the headline rate from 0.5% to 0.25% in response to a deterioration in the rate of inflation. Given that we are yet to see the full effect of this change, there is very little chance we will see back to back cuts from the ECB. Furthermore, we have recently seen an above expectation rise in the eurozone CPI figure, further reducing the likeliness that there will be any change. Despite the fact that this seems highly unlikely to change, the markets will still be paying close attention to the press conference from Mario Draghi following the announcement, which has the possibility to lay out where the ECB sees policy heading in the coming months. Bear in mind that Draghi often tries to talk down the value of the euro and for that reason we could hear further talk of negative interest rates in the future and alike. Whether the markets continue to fall for the same trick time and again is yet to be seen, but the statement is certainly likely to be the most volatile part of this event.
[B]Asia & Oceania[/B]
In Asia, there are few major releases to note, all of which occur within China. The major release comes in the form of the Chinese manufacturing PMI figure on Sunday. The fact that it will be released early on Sunday means it cannot move markets instantaneously, thus taking the edge off it somewhat. Therefore we are looking for a significant miss from expectations to carry the sentiment into traders mindsets. The importance of the manufacturing sector to the Chinese economy is well publicised. However, it is worth noting that the figure has greater implications for the global economy, which has been driven to a large extent by the Chinese economy. Forecasts point to a fall from 51.4 to 51.2, which would be the first reduction in this figure for five months. That being said, it is unlikely to really take any headlines as such given the size of the move. Look out for a big shift in this figure for a possible impact to markets on Monday morning.
In Australia, a busy week sees a raft to top tier data releases. The most notable of which is likely to be the latest monetary policy announcement from the RBA on Tuesday along with the GDP figure later in the week.
On Tuesday, the RBA comes into focus with the latest interest rate decision for the Australian economy. The question marks have been looming over this decision in recent months given the resurgence of the Australian dollar. However this appears to have been quelled somewhat with the substantial losses seen within the last fortnight for their currency. For this reason I do not see any likely change in the measure for the moment as the RBA will most likely save a rate cut for reversing an upward trajectory should it return.
Lastly on Wednesday, the latest GDP figure is due to be released for Q3. There have been series of changes in the Australian economy including interest rates, Chinese growth and a new Prime Minister. And with this there has been a growing feeling of uncertainty with regards to how the economy will fare going forward. The GDP is one key measure as to where the economy currently stands and thus we will be following the release closely to gauge whether the newly invigorated economy can stand on its own feet. Markets point towards a rise to 0.7% on a MoM basis, yet given the inability to break higher from the 0.6% level on the last five attempts, I am not too hopeful for this figure. Should the release fall short, this could bring a heightened likeliness of a interest rate cut next month to bring the economy back into line.
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