IN WHAT looks set to be a relatively quiet week in terms of economic releases, the main focus is likely to be on external trade data for December, due out on Wednesday.
In light of the fall-off in global demand, the seasonally adjusted surplus is expected to be lower than the record high seen in November.
MONDAY
Meeting: Launch of Action Plan for Jobs 2012 (Icon, Leopardstown); Ulster Bank and Enterprise Ireland will host a breakfast seminar on doing business in India and China (Croke Park Conference Centre); Cloud4Gov event (Science Gallery); Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown chamber working lunch (Stillorgan Park Hotel).
Indicators: Irish construction PMI (January); German wholesale price Index (January); Chinese foreign direct investment.
Other: Minister of State Brian Hayes to launch a framework for the supply of managed print services; US president Barack Obama to release his 2013 budget proposal.
TUESDAY
Results: Thyssenkrupp.
Meeting: Wicklow chamber members agm.
Indicators: EMU Industrial Production (December) and ZEW survey – economic sentiment (February); Irish quarterly national household survey – response of households to the economic downturn (quarter 2, 2011); US import price index and retail sales, less cars (January); UK RICS housing price balance, consumer price index and retail price index (January).
WEDNESDAY
Results: Danone; Domino's Pizza Britain Irl; Heineken; Voestalpine.
Meeting: RDS business networking breakfast with Goldman Sachs MD (Ireland) Hugo MacNeill; Measurement.ieconference on social media (National College of Ireland); IMF and EU officials start third review of Portugal's bailout package.
Indicators: EMU GDP (quarter 4), trade balance (December); Irish external trade (December); US FOMC minutes, industrial production (January) and net long-term TIC flows (December); UK average earnings (February), claimant count rate (January) and BoE quarterly inflation report; German GDP (quarter 4).
THURSDAY
Results: Applied Materials; Axa; ICON; Ladbrokes; Pernod Ricard; Saint-Gobain; Zurich Financial Services
Meeting: Enterprise Europe Network to host the National Procurement Day Conference (Alexander Hotel, Dublin 2); IAB conference; national planning awards; Irish Bioenergy Association annual conference; SFA employment law conference (Galway); OECD global forum on competition.
Indicators: European Central Bank monthly report; US producer price index (January), speech by Ben Bernanke, chairman of US Federal Reserve.
FRIDAY
Results: Lafarge
Meeting: American Chamber of Commerce president's lunch (Convention Centre Dublin)
Indicators: EMU PMI services (February); Irish overseas travel (October-December); US consumer price index, housing starts and leading indicators (January); UK nationwide housing prices (February), retail sales (January); German producer price index (January).
