Monday should be quiet because of the Labor Day holiday in the United States but the rest of the week will prove an interesting test for the market, with traders and investors back at their desks after the break. Traders will be looking to see whether the institutions will be putting their spare cash into the market. Next week also sees another meeting of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee but few are expecting a further cut in interest rates after August's surprise move. Recent data have shown that consumer demand in Britain remains robust.

A series of key U.S. economic indicators will be released that should tell us just how deeply announced layoffs are cutting into employment, giving investors further insights on whether manufacturing is beginning to stabilize. In Europe, a number of sentiment indicators should tell investors whether consumers and business are hanging tough. And in Japan, second quarter gross domestic product is expected to give investors the long dreaded confirmation that the economy is in recession. Investors are still looking to the United States to restart its engine of growth for economies worldwide.

Introduction   •   Global Stock Market Indexes   •   Recap of Global Markets   •   Currencies   •  Indicator Scoreboard

The Bottom Line   •   Looking Ahead