The Federal Reserve is scheduled to release its next Beige Book report of economic conditions on Wednesday, offering perhaps the best glimpse yet whether the recession has bottomed in the United States. The Beige Book report in March suggested that, by most measures, the economy was continuing to deteriorate and that prospects for near-term improvement was poor. But the April report showed that the deterioration was beginning to slow in some regions. Also, the TIPP Economic Optimism Index is scheduled to be released Tuesday, and the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index comes out Friday. So by the end of the week, we could have a good gauge of the mood over the U.S. economy.
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FeedThe week in preview: The Beige Book and other mood gauges
Continue reading The week in preview: The Beige Book and other mood gauges
Employment, motor vehicle sales, consumer credit on this week's schedule
Here's a look at what's on the economic calendar for the week of January 5, 2009:
- Construction spending (Nov. 2008): Monday, 10:00 AM
- Ford Motor Co. U.S. sales (Dec. 2008): Monday, 1:00 PM
- New motor vehicle sales (Dec. 2008): Monday, 4:00 PM
- Factory orders (Nov. 2008): Tuesday, 10:00 AM
- Pending home sales (Nov. 2008): Tuesday, 10:00 AM
- ISM Non-Manufacturing Survey (Dec. 2008): Tuesday, 10:00 AM
- Monster Employment Index (Dec. 2008): Wednesday, 6:00 AM
- Challenger job-cut announcement (Dec. 2008): Wednesday, 7:30 AM
- Public debt (Dec. 2008): Wednesday, 3:00 PM
- Consumer credit (Nov. 2008): Thursday, 3:00 PM
- Employment situation (Dec. 2008): Friday, 8:30 AM
- Wholesale trade (Nov. 2008): Friday, 10:00 AM
For expectations from some of this week's earnings releases, see The week in preview: Family Dollar, Bed Bath & Beyond, KB Home, and others.
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