On Tuesday, the Commerce Department is scheduled to issue its monthly report on
business inventories. That could provide a closer look at the manufacturing sector, which has been shown to be weaker in various reports within the past month.
Wednesday brings the
Fed's meeting minutes as well as weekly data on
crude oil inventories; a surprise increase pushed prices down and helped usher the Dow to its new highs last week.
On
Thursday, the
Fed plans to release its
Beige Book, which summarizes regional economic activity. Also that day, the Commerce Department issues data on the country's
trade balance.
Then, on
Friday, the
Commerce Department issues the important report on
retail sales. Wall Street will be looking at the key measure of consumer spending to help determine how much a decline in gas prices could the rest of the economy. Investors will also be looking at whether falling gas prices and stock market gains have given a boost to consumer sentiment, when the University of
Michigan releases its preliminary
report for October.
------from Yahoo.com