After Friday's middling job report, investors this week will continue to hunt for clues about the Fed's upcoming meeting. Meanwhile all eyes will be on China's market Monday as it reopens after a holiday.
For Morningstar, I'm Jeremy Glaser. Welcome to The Week Ahead, our quick look at what investors should have on their radar for the week starting Sept. 7.
There are only a handful of earnings and data releases scheduled for this holiday-shortened week.
Coming on the heels of Friday's decent August jobs report, we'll get a bit more information on the labor market with the JOLTs report, which provides us data on job openings, and our weekly look at initial unemployment claims.
This week we'll also get a read of wholesale price inflation from the producer price index, and the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment survey will give us a snapshot on how consumers are feeling in the face of market volatility.
But the real focus will be on the two items that have been at the center of the market's moves for the last few weeks.
The first is the Fed. They are gearing up for their policy meeting later this month, and there is still a lot of uncertainty about if they will or they won't raise rates, particularly after Friday's not-too-hot, not-too-cold jobs report. Any hint one way or another about which way the Fed is leaning could move the market.
The second big focus will be on China. Investors will continue to search for any signs that the economy is slowing faster than expected. They'll also be eyeing the [Chinese] stock market as it reopens on Monday after a two-day holiday. One of the big questions marks on that front is if the Chinese government will continue to buy shares to support the market or allow it to fall even farther.
Stay tuned to Morningstar for our take on all of these stories throughout the week.
