Events to Look Out for Next Week

• Gross Domestic Product (JPY, GMT 23:50 Sunday) – Gross Domestic Product should plummet in the preliminary Q4 reading and reveal headline growth of 2.3% q/q from 5.3% q/q in Q3.
• Industrial Production (EUR, GMT 10:00) – The volume of production of Industries for factories and manufacturing has been slowly recovering but showing signs of stalling. December’s reading however is expected to reveal a negative -0.3% m/m,  a decline from November’s 2.5% m/m reading.

Tuesday – 16 February 2021

• Gross Domestic Product (EUR, GMT 10:00) – Eurozone Q4 GDP contracted -0.7% (q/q, sa), less than initially expected in light of renewed lockdowns towards the end of the year. Economic activity was down -5.1% in the last quarter of 2020, compared to a year earlier, highlighting that there is a long way to go before activity has reached pre-pandemic levels even if restrictions are lifted quickly, which is unlikely to be the case. The preliminary Gross Domestic Product for Q4 2020 should remain unchanged in the quarterly and yearly basis. Hence, the risk of a technical recession remains firmly on the table, while data also highlights the growing divergence between Eurozone countries, which will pose a challenge for politicians and central bankers alike going forward.
• Economic Sentiment (EUR, GMT 10:00) – European and German February ZEW economic sentiment are seen to have declined at 57.0 and 59.4 respectively.

Wednesday – 17 February 2021

• Consumer Price Index (GBP, GMT 07:00) – UK inflation data for January is anticipated lower at 0.5% y/y, after it came in slightly warmer than expected in December, at 0.6% y/y, up from 0.3% in the month prior. Core inflation lifted to 1.4% y/y last time. Even this remains firmly below the BoE’s target, but the headline rate is likely to jump in March and April, when strong base effects kick-in on year-on-year price comparisons (caused by last years ‘mother’ of lockdowns).
• Retail Sales (USD, GMT 13:30) – Expectations are for a 0.8% January retail sales headline bounce with a 0.9% ex-autos increase, following respective December decreases of -0.7% and -1.4%. A 5.4% bounce for the CPI gasoline index is seen, that should provide a boost to service station sales.
• Consumer Price Index (CAD, GMT 13:30) – The CPI inflation expected to accelerate to a 1.0% y/y pace in January, after its decline to 0.7% y/y last month.
• FOMC Meeting Minutes (USD, GMT 19:00) – The FOMC minutes should provide further guidance for 2021.

Thursday – 18 February 2021

• Employment and Unemployment Rate (AUD, GMT 00:30) – The Australian jobs market is expected to show a negative employment report, with employment unchanged but unemployment to ticking up to 6.7% for January.
• ECB Monetary Policy Meeting Accounts (EUR, GMT 12:30) – The ECB Monetary Policy Meeting Accounts provide information with regards to the policymakers’ rationale behind their decisions. At the same time, low-for-longer remains the main message of the ECB and that will likely be enforced this year by switching to a more symmetric inflation target, which would see the ECB letting inflation run above target for a while, following the prolonged period of below-target headline rates
• Building Permits (USD, GMT 13:30) – Housing starts are expected to dip to a 1.600 mln pace from a 14-year high of 1.669 mln in December. Permits are expected to ease to 1.640 mln from a 14-year high of 1.704 mln in December. All the housing measures have rebounded sharply since Q2.

Friday – 19 February 2021

• Retail Sales (GBP, GMT 07:00) – The Retail Sales are seen contracting at -1.0% m/m for January with the core higher at 0.8% from 0.4% m/m last month.
• Services and Manufacturing PMI (EUR, GMT 08:30-09:00) – The Eurozone composite PMI was revised up in the final reading for January, at 47.8, while the headline remained firmly in contraction territory. The services reading was revised up to 45.4 from 45.0, but that still highlighted that the services sector is taking most of the hit from renewed lockdowns across Eurozone countries. Hence the preliminary February reading is expected lower again at 44.5, with manufacturing at 54.5 from 54.8 in January. Even though manufacturing continues to expand, this isn’t helping consumer sentiment. Overall, Germany may be the one that could escape another technical recession, but the Eurozone overall clearly is set for a renewed contraction in activity in Q1, after activity already dropped off in Q4 last year.
• UK Services PMI (GBP, GMT 09:30) –  Like in the Eurozone, the weakness is mainly concentrated in the services sector, and the final services PMI came in at just 39.5, highlighting that the return of lockdown measures has hit the hospitality, high street retail and public transport sectors very hard.
• Retail Sales (CAD, GMT 13:30) – Expectations are for a 0.1% m/m December retail sales with a decline of the ex-autos measure to 0.3%, following November gains of 1.3% and 2.1% respectively.