The Business News Week Ahead

The coming week may prove to be an important one but the economic calendar is light. Central bank policy will be the focus especially the Federal Reserve's Jackson Hole conference which begins Thursday and includes a speech by Jerome Powell on Friday. Minutes from the prior meeting in July, when the Fed cut rates for the first time this cycle, will be posted on Wednesday with minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia, which started cutting rates early in the year, due out on Tuesday and minutes from the European Central Bank, which appears to be preparing to cut rates next month, out on Thursday. Economic data will include August PMI flashes across Europe, including for Germany manufacturing which has been especially depressed, and trade and consumer price data out of Japan. Manufacturing sales, a sensitive focus right now, will be posted in Canada early in the week with home sales, both existing and new, out of the US.