FXStreet (Guatemala) – Cristian Maggio, Head of Emerging Markets Research at TD Securities explained that the last week before the Fed’s widely-anticipated hike will prove itself to be a relatively quiet one, with just a few data releases and the start of the pre-FOMC black-out period.
Key Quotes:
“Retail sales will be the highlight, and the initial post-Black Friday reports from retailers suggest a fairly decent start to the holiday shopping season.
However, headline retail sales should print on the low side owing to weaker auto sales and falling gasoline prices. We expect total retail sales spending to show a relatively modest 0.1% M/M gain (consensus: 0.3%). Core spending activity should be quite strong, rising at a robust 0.4% M/M pace (consensus: 0.5%), underscoring the positive underlying tone in consumer spending activity. Also out will be the preliminary December consumer sentiment, where consensus is looking for the headline Michigan Sentiment index to pick up slightly to 92.0.”
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