The Reserve Bank of Australia on Tuesday and the Reserve Bank of India on Thursday are both expected to hold policy unchanged, extending a lengthening trend of no action among major central banks which are in no hurry to cut rates given still high levels of inflation combined with still stable economic activity.
Economic highlights include Eurozone retail sales on Tuesday which are expected to fall once again; German manufacturing orders on Tuesday and German industrial production on Wednesday are both expected to be flat. Chinese consumer prices on Thursday are expected to remain in contraction, while Canada’s labour force survey on Friday is expected to rebound in January after coming in flat in December.