The Business News Week Ahead

 The week opens with a bang: third-quarter GDP from China which is expected to rise a useful but still moderate 3.3 percent. Monthly Chinese data will follow including both industrial production and retail sales where limited improvement is the call. Japanese trade data will also be posted Monday, and extending cross-border contraction, especially for imports, is the consensus. No improvement at all is the expectation for the week's sentiment data which are all packed on Thursday: Germany's GfK consumer climate, France's business climate, and the EC consumer confidence flash. And marginal slowing is the general consensus for Friday's monthly run of PMI flashes, opening with France followed by Germany and the UK and ending with the US. Inflation reports, from the UK and Japan, are likewise expected to show a notable lack of life in the week. Other data include another claims report from the US where new improvement is the hope as well as housing starts and permits from the US where explosive acceleration is expected.