(MENAFN– ecpulse) The week ahead will feature retail sales, housing and inflation data as well as the minutes of the last meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee and a speech from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.
The most recent meeting of the FOMC by no means contained any surprises, so it`s unclear what should be expected from the minutes.
The meeting came on the heels of the government shutdown while the August jobs data, the most current report at the time, had been lukewarm, so it`s likely officials will only reiterate their data-dependent approach to policy changes.
Bernanke will also speak at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Inflation data to be released next week include the October Consumer Price Index Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. ET and the October Producer Price Index - the old version - Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Beginning next year , a new PPI "final demand" methodology will debut with the January report. Core prices continued to show only marginal growth in the September data, providing the Federal Reserve with a little more leeway in terms of pushing its quantitative easing program.
Housing data to be released next week include October existing home sales Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. ET and the National Association of Home Builders` November housing market index Monday at 10:00 a.m. ET.
Affordable Care Act
The House Friday passed another bill to undermine the 2010 Affordable Care Act, but this measure passed with some Democratic support.
The House approved, on a 261 to 157 vote, a bill drafted by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton that would allow insurers that provided coverage in the individual market as of Jan. 1, 2013, to continue to offer coverage for one year even if their plans don`t meet the minimum coverage requirements of the new health law.
The bill secured all House Republican votes but four.
Most Democrats opposed the bill although 39 did vote for the Upton legislation. The measure is not expected to advance in the Senate. The White House opposes the bill.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.