The Business News Week Ahead

For the US, another set of flat consumer confidence readings on Tuesday and poor results for durable goods orders on Wednesday could heat up expectations for another Federal Reserve rate cut. Yet unexpectedly strong readings, in contrast, could push back those expectations and raise talk of year-end acceleration for the economy. For Europe, economic sentiment is at a multi-year low and will lead Thursday's global calendar ahead of consumer prices including data from Germany, France, and the Eurozone where another round of subdued results is the call. Japanese industrial production will be posted on Friday as will Japanese retail sales which are likely to show another month of consumption-tax distortions. GDP data from India, coming off a six-year low, will also be posted on Friday as will GDP from Canada, one of the few countries where monetary policy, because of economic strength, has been on hold. But the week isn't over until Saturday when China will post the official CFLP manufacturing PMI for November, an index that has been in marginal contraction for six straight months.