Events to Look Out for Next Week

• Eurogroup Meeting
• Retail Sales (CNY, GMT 02:00) – The overall Chinese Retail sales should spike in January at 32% y/y from 4.6% y/y last month. China was the only major economy that grew last year despite challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. It reported a growth of 2.3% in 2020, but the performance across sectors was uneven with exports staying resilient while consumption has continued to lag.

Tuesday – 16 March 2021

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• RBA Meeting Minutes (AUD, GMT 00:30) – No surprises from the RBA is expected. The bank, after leaving interest rates unchanged, as had been anticipated, unexpectedly extended its QE program following its February board meeting. The statement said the outlook for the global economy has improved over recent months thanks to vaccine developments. It warned, however, that the expected recovery is likely to “remain bumpy and uneven” and “remains dependent on the health situation and on significant fiscal and monetary support”. The central scenario is for the Australian economy to expand 3 1/2 percent this year as well as expected to “return to its end-2019 level by the middle of this year”. Spare capacity is likely to stay for some time. Inflation and wages growth are expected to pick up from weak levels, but to remain “below 2% over the next couple of years”.
• Economic Sentiment (EUR, GMT 10:00) – German March ZEW economic sentiment is seen to have declined at 65.1 compared to 69.6.
• Retail Sales (USD, GMT 12:30) – A February pull-back is seen in the retail sales headline and ex-auto component after outsized January gains, while business inventories climbed in January after a boost in the December level. A -2.0% February retail sales headline drop is expected with a -1.8% ex-autos decrease, following respective January jumps of 5.3% and 5.9%.

Wednesday – 17 March 2021

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• Consumer Price Index (EUR, GMT 01:30) – HICP inflation held steady at 0.9% y/y in January, as expected. The number reflects diverging developments across the four big Eurozone countries, which highlights the challenge the central bank will be facing as economies emerge from the pandemic and demand bounces back. Core inflation dropped back to 1.1%. Hence no change is expected for February’s data.
• BoC Consumer Price Index (CAD, GMT 12:30) – Canada’s CPI accelerated to a 1.0% growth rate (y/y, nsa) in January from the 0.7% rate of expansion in December. For February the overall inflation is expected to slow down slightly to 0.9% y/y. The CPI measure remains quite tame, running at the bottom of the BoC’s 1-3% target band. The BoC has maintained their commitment to maintain accommodative policy for an extended period of time.
• Interest Rate Decision and Press Conference (USD, GMT 18:00 – 18:30)  – Fed Chair Powell will give a big thank you to the ECB after the Bank announced it will step up its asset purchases “significantly” next quarter to help steady rate markets. Like the Fed, the central banks are working to prevent a tightening of financial conditions, especially after the February 25 spike in rates that caused global shockwaves. But the ECB action and frontloading PEPP purchase was much more than the jawboning that the markets were anticipating. The FOMC won’t have that luxury, however, as it meets next week. We will look for a more upbeat assessment on growth conditions which would normally pressure Treasury yields higher. However, the Fed will again emphasize the downside risks and stress that there is still a long row to hoe before accommodation is removed. And of course it will add that it will remain accommodative until its goals are met. And now with the ECB doing more of the heavy lifting to contain the upside in yields near term via bond buying, Treasury rates may be held in check (relatively) too. On inflation, Lagarde also warned of a spike in prices said she will “see through” any increase because the medium term outlook is subdued. Powell has and will deliver the same message that policymakers are expecting a jump in y/y inflation rates, due largely to base effects, as well as the natural impacts of a likely surge in spending as the economy reopens, with some likely bottlenecks from supply chain disruptions.

Thursday – 18 March 2021

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• Interest Rate Decision and Press Conference (GBP, GMT 12:00)  – The BoE delivered a relatively upbeat assessment of the outlook, even though it still flagged downside risks. Central bankers may still want to add negative rates to the toolkit, but it is pretty clear that they don’t expect to go there in the current situation. The BoE is expected to remain committed to not tightening policy until there is clear evidence that significant progress is being made in eliminating spare capacity and achieving the 2% inflation target sustainably.

Friday – 19 March 2021

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• Interest Rate Decision and Press Conference (JPY, GMT 03:00) – The Bank of Japan meets on March 19. No change is expected to the main policy settings. In January, BoJ Governor Kuroda said uncertainty remains high for now and the risks for the economy and inflation are to the downside. Against that background he stressed that the BoJ won’t hesitate to add easing if needed, but also said the BoJ will need to consider the cumulative effects of the policy measures, including side effects. Notably, the reflation trade lifted the yields on the 10-year JGB (Japanese government bond) to a two year high of 0.115%. But the rate move is unlikely to prompt any action by the BoJ as it was driven by the market, tracking the general reflation trade that has lifted yields globally so far in 2021.
• Retail Sales (CAD, GMT 12:30) – A January decline is seen in the retail sales and ex-auto component. A -2.5% m/m retail sales drop is expected with a -2.0% m/m ex-autos decrease, following December’s -3.4% m/m and 4.1% m/m.