For the coming week, key data on manufacturing, inflation, economic growth, employment and consumer demand will be released in the U.S., Europe and the Britain. The deluge of economic statistics will give the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and the Bank of England plenty to digest in the run up to their respective interest rate decisions the following week. Despite expectations of further weakness, the fixed-income market is not pricing in any immediate rate cuts. The health of the manufacturing sector and labor market is the focus in Europe this week, with Friday's Eurozone Purchasing Managers' Index one of the most closely watched indicators. But the ECB is in no mood to stray from their inflation targets, so slower growth is unlikely to bring about a change in policy. The political jousting in Japan may further delay government plans on how to resolve the country's twin problems of deflation and bad loans. Last week's delay gave a fillip to the yen, helping it rise to a two-week high against the dollar.

Last Week's Highlights   •   Global Stock Market Indexes   •   Recap of Global Markets   •   Currencies   •  Indicator Scoreboard

The Bottom Line   •   Looking Ahead