The middle of this week will be action packed with both scheduled economic reports and the Fed's next regularly scheduled meeting, including their policy statement and rate decision being delivered on Wednesday. With all the actions the government has been taking to stabilize our economy, it will be especially important to hear what the Fed has to say.and to see how the markets react. This week also brings news on the inflation (or deflation) front, with Tuesday's wholesale measuring Producer Price Index (PPI) Report and Wednesday's Consumer Price Index (CPI) Report. Given China's concerns mentioned above about US spending to combat the recession and what that could mean for inflation, it will be important to see how these reports come in. Also this week, we'll get a read on the new construction housing market with Tuesday's Housing Starts and Building Permits Reports. On Thursday, the Philadelphia Fed Report will be released. This monthly survey of manufacturing purchasing managers conducting business around the tri-state area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware is one of the most-watched manufacturing reports. We'll also have another Initial Jobless Claims report on Thursday, and with the number of people collecting unemployment reaching record highs as mentioned above, it will be important to keep an eye on this report, too. Remember: Weak economic news normally helps Bonds and home loan rates improve, as money flows out of Stocks and into Bonds. As you can see in the chart below, Bonds were helped by important technical support and were able to hold onto recent gains even with the rally in the Stock market. I'll be watching closely to see how Bonds and home loan rates react to all of this week's events! |