Daily Agenda: The Week Ahead, August 29 – September 2, 2016

Monday, August 29: The U.S. Department of Commerce releases personal consumption expenditure data for July. Concerns over sluggish demand abroad have not derailed the appetite of U.S. shoppers as gains in employment and ultralow rates have maintained the pace of activity at the cash register. June data revealed that the pace of shopping had picked up by more than economists expected for the month while both prices and wage growth remained subdued.

Tuesday, August 30: After a rebound in emerging-markets equities year-to-date, many investors will be focused on the segment as new big-picture data points emerge. One week after the closing ceremonies for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the Ministry of Finance will release Brazil’s monthly budget data for June with consensus economists’ expectations for another deficit as Latin America’s largest economy continues to stall. Meanwhile, investors concerned over the recent warnings from the International Monetary Fund over nonperforming debt levels in the Chinese financial system will look to second quarter financial releases from the Bank of China, as well as Industrial and Commercial Bank of China — the oldest of the so-called big five banks of China and the world’s largest financial institution by assets respectively — for clues.

Wednesday, August 31: Today observed as a celebration of the city’s patron saints, Virgin Mary and St. Louis Bertrand, La Tomatina in Buñol, Spain, is the world’s largest food fight. The event concludes in an hour-long tomato fight involving thousands of messy revelers. In order to avoid serious injury, participants must break the skin of tomatoes before hurling them at their counterparts. According to some estimates, participants flung nearly 160 tons of tomatoes during the event last year.

Thursday, September 1: Both Caixin and the Chinese governmental National Bureau of Statistics release final purchasing manager index data. After a rally in oil and base commodities fizzled in recent weeks, many traders will be focused on demand signals from the largest developing economy. Initial figures for the manufacturing sector released earlier in the month indicated that the NBS index, which tracks larger, state-owned companies contracted for the period while the smaller private sector firms surveyed in the Caixin were in the black. Increasing infrastructure investment as part of Beijing’s stimulus measures has been cited by some analysts as a driver for possible resilience.

Friday, September 2: The U.S. Department of Labor August employment report will be a focus for investors in the lead up to the Federal Reserve’s September meeting. With no clear consensus on when the next rate hike will occur, another strong showing from the job market will likely cause some allocators to adjust risk positioning.