Prepare for the week ahead by marking these three economic events to watch. You can find all the week’s economic events on TipRanks’ Economic Calendar.
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- Initial Jobless Claims – Thursday, December 8. Although this report is released every week, it’s important to watch now, as we lead up to the Fed’s December 14 meeting where they will discuss interest rate hikes. This report tells us how many people are out of work now, and the Fed will be less likely to raise interest rates if unemployment numbers are up.
- Consumer Sentiment – Friday, December 9. This indicator reveals how optimistic people feel about the state of the U.S. economy. When people are confident, they spend more and create a more robust economy, giving companies stronger revenues and earnings. Less confident sentiment can indicate that the economy is going to be weak in the months ahead.
- Wholesale Inventory – Friday, December 9. Larger stocks of wholesale inventory indicate that retailers are buying less. Vice versa, shrinking wholesale inventory shows that retailers are buying more. Therefore, the Wholesale Inventories report tells us about the state of consumer goods sales.