August 21-24: economic events 
Tuesday, August 21 Australia: The RBA will release monetary policy meeting minutes (1:30 GMT). The central bank may warn about the high level of Australian dollar which is close to 30-year highs. Few economists expect the RBA to intervene in order to contain Aussie’s advance. The central bank is more likely to cut interest rates if it finds the strong national currency is actively damaging Australian economy. For the moment, the RBA is signaling that it’s happy with interest rates where they are. Analysts at CMC Markets think that “traders will be looking for clues that the rate easing cycle is already over.”
New Zealand: The RBNZ’s inflation expectations survey (3:00 GMT). Westpac says that “often an interest rate market mover, the 2-year number may fall from 2.4% to 2.2%, a headwind for swap rates and the New Zealand dollar.”
Britain: Public sector net borrowing (8:30 GMT). After a large deficit in the June reading, the markets are predicting a surplus in July. This would be bullish for the pound.
Japan: Trade balance (23:50 GMT). Trade deficit is expected to widen in July to 460 billion yen from 300 billion yen in June.
Wednesday, August 22 Euro area: Luxembourg’s Prime Minister and the head of Euro Group Jean-Claude Juncker will will meet with Greece’s Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to discuss a 2-year extension of the indebted nation’s fiscal adjustment program.
Canada: Retail sales (12:30 GMT) increased by 0.3% in May after 0.5% drop in April, while the core reading added 0.5% after sliding by 0.4%. According to the forecasts, retail sales may have gained 0.2% in June, while core sales – added 0.4%.
US: Existing home sales (14:00 GMT). The annual adjusted reading fell from a revised 4.62 million in May to 4.37 million in June. An increase to 4.52 million is expected this time (July). The FOMC meeting minutes (18:00 GMT). Societe Generale claims that “the minutes will give additional hints on the FOMC stance”. Credit Suisse says that the possibility of the Fed announcing QE3 next month has declined to 50%.
Thursday, August 23 China: HSBC flash manufacturing PMI (2:30 GMT). The index rose from 48.2 in June to 49.3 in July. This time August reading is released. A reading below 50.0 indicates industry’s contraction.
Euro area: French, German and euro area’s PMIs. Rabobank underlines that “confidence indicators from the euro zone likely to receive the most attention this week as they provide a timely snapshot of sentiment across a range of sectors.” Saxo Bank expects that readings will be weak and the pressure on ECB President Mario Draghi to act will strengthen. Societe Generale, on the contrary, claims that “the euro area manufacturing PMI will post the first rise in 6 months, increasing to 45.0 in August, while the service sector index should increase to 48.6. Despite the improvement both indices remain well below the critical 50 level, which in turn should be consistent with another contraction in euro area GDP in Q3 in line with our current forecast.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to meet French President Francois Hollande.
US: Unemployment claims (12:30 GMT) will likely come little changed around 365K. New home sales (14:00 GMT) may have risen from the lowest level in more than a year of 350K in June to 362K last month.
Australia: The RBA Governor Stevens speaks (23:30 GMT). Deutsche Bank says that “the rhetoric from the RBA indicates a very high hurdle to moving policy from here. For now they appear quite comfortably on hold and this week’s communication will likely reinforce that.”
Friday, August 24 Euro area: Greece’s Prime Minister Samaras meets Merkel in Berlin ahead of the return of the Troika (EU, IMF and ECB) to Athens in September. On Saturday Samaras will meet Francois Hollande.
Britain: Revised GDP (8:30 GMT). The first revision of GDP is likely to show a better outcome than the preliminary pessimistic reading of a 0.7% contraction. Economic growth in Q2 is predicted to shrink by only 0.5% due to a smaller than estimated drop in construction activity and industrial production.
US: Core durable goods orders (12:30 GMT). The indicator may have climbed by 0.5% after losing 1.4% in June.
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