The Business News Week Ahead

Retail sales for December, which have been delayed for a month due to the government shutdown, look to the highlight of what will be a busy week. Job openings in the JOLTS report will be Tuesday's focus amid what appears to be a swelling in the labor market. Inflation concerns have moved to the back burner amid slowing global growth and comparatively low oil prices, but the week does get a full slate: consumer prices on Wednesday, producer prices on Thursday, and import & export prices on Friday. All of these reports are expected to show very subdued pressures. Subdued is also the outlook for retail sales which are not expected, despite the strength of the labor market, to show much punch at all in holiday spending. A reversal for manufacturing output, which spiked in December, is expected to hold down Friday's industrial production to yet another one of the week's expected modest results. The week ends which consumer sentiment and here too not much of a bounce is expected following January's plunge on the government shutdown.