It is Monday, which means it’s time for traders to plan their moves for this week. Many things are going on around the world right now, but here is a brief overview of some of the key events to focus on during the week.
Without a doubt the most important piece of news you need to be wary of this week is the ECB policy meeting this Thursday. This event is keenly awaited by investors who have been speculating for many months now that the ECB will switch its policy focus and begin tightening its stimulus program. ECB president Mario Draghi will give a speech after the announcement, which would be another great opportunity to look for hints for the end of the stimulus measures. Analysts are currently hoping to hear that the stimulus amount will decrease from 60 to 40 billion euro from January, and that the program will not last longer September next year. If this is announced this Thursday, expect new interest in the euro.
Across the Atlantic we are awaiting news on the American GDP for the 3rd quarter of 2017. This would cover the period when the United States were repeatedly hit by hurricanes, had their oil extraction activities interrupted, engaged in verbal conflict with North Korea, and more. In other words, it was a turbulent period and the GDP report will provide an objective assessment to how the country’s massive economy handled it. The GDP will be published this Friday and will be an important pointer for the Federal Reserve to decide whether to increase interest rates in December.
We also expect the third quarter GDP for the United Kingdom this Wednesday, together with news on the Brexit negotiations.
