Dec. 5, 2007 (Allthingsforex.com) – In the week ahead, traders will focus on the main gauge of consumer spending- the U.S. Retail Sales, coupled with interest rate announcements from the Bank of Canada and the Swiss National Bank.
 
In preparation for the new trading week, here is a quick look at the most important economic events that every currency trader should pay attention to.

Sunday, Dec. 7 will begin the trading session with the Japanese Current Account of goods, services and transfer of payments into and out of the country, at 6:50 pm, ET, along with the Japanese Money Supply, a measure of the value of all currency and liquid cash assets held by the public, also at 6:50 pm, ET.

Monday, Dec. 8 will have an early start with the Japanese Eco Watchers Survey of the sentiment of businesses in the services industry, at 12:00 am, ET.

News from the Euro-zone will bring the closely watched Sentix Investor Confidence Index of the confidence level of investors in the economy, at 4:30 am, ET.

The first spotlight event of the week- the U.K. Input and Output PPI- Producers Price Indexes, the main measures of inflation experienced by manufacturers, will hit the newswires at 4:30 am, ET.

Housing data from Canada will deliver the Canadian Housing Starts for new residential construction, at 8:15 am, ET.

The day will conclude with a spotlight event- the Japanese GDP- Gross Domestic Product, the main measure of economic activity and growth, at 6:50 pm, ET.

Several important economic releases will follow with the U.K. Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors House Price Balance, measuring changes in home prices, at 7:00 pm, ET, and the BRC- British Retail Consortium Retail Sales Monitor, also at 7:00 pm, ET, and the Australian Business Confidence, a measure of the economic sentiment of businesses in the non-farm sector, at 7:30 pm, ET. 

Tuesday, Dec. 9 will begin with the Japanese Leading Indicators of economic activity, at 12:00 am, ET, the Swiss Unemployment Rate, at 1:45 am, ET, and the German Trade Balance of the difference between imports and exports of tangible goods and services, at 2:00 am, ET.

A spotlight event from the U.K. will follow with the U.K. Industrial Production and Manufacturing Output, measuring the physical output of the nation's factories, mines and utilities, at 4:30 am, ET, along with the U.K. Trade Balance of the difference between imports and exports of tangible goods and services, also at 4:30 am, ET.

News from the Euro-zone will bring a spotlight event- the German and the Euro-zone ZEW Institute Economic Sentiment, a measure of the sentiment of institutional investors, at 5:00 am, ET.

One of the main spotlight events of the week will come from Canada with the announcement of Bank of Canada’s Interest Rate Decision, at 9:00 am, ET. 

The only notable U.S. economic release will be the U.S. Pending Home Sales Index, a leading indicator of housing activity measuring the pending home sales that are not yet closed, at 10:00 am, ET.

The day will conclude with a sequence of important economic data from Japan, “down under”, and the U.K., beginning with the Australian Westpac Melbourne Institute Consumer Sentiment, a measure of consumers’ financial conditions and attitudes about the economy, at 6:30 pm, ET.

News from Japan will bring the Japanese CGPI- Corporate Goods Price Index, an equivalent to a PPI- Producers Price Index as a measure of inflation experienced by manufacturers, at 6:50 pm, ET, along with the Japanese Machinery Orders, also at 6:50 pm, ET.

The day will end with a spotlight event- the U.K. GDP- Gross Domestic Product Preliminary Estimate of the main measure of economic activity and growth, at 7:00 pm, ET, followed by the Australian Home Loans, measuring newly-issued home purchase loans, at 7:30 pm, ET. 

Wednesday, Dec. 10 will start with the Swiss ZEW Institute Economic Expectations Index of investor sentiment, at 5:00 am, ET, and the Canadian Labor Productivity, at 8:30 am, ET.

The U.S. economic data will include the U.S. Wholesale Trade, measuring the dollar value of sales made and inventories held by merchant wholesalers, at 10:00 am, ET, the EIA- Energy Information Administration’s Weekly Oil Inventories, at 10:30 am, ET, and the U.S. Treasury Budget Balance, at 2:00 pm, ET.

Later that afternoon, New Zealand’s Food Price Index of the rate of inflation in food prices and food services, will be released at 4:45 pm, ET, followed by the Australian Melbourne Institute Inflation Expectations Index, at 7:00 pm, ET.

The day will end with a notable report- the Australian Employment Situation and Unemployment Rate, scheduled at 7:30 pm, ET.

Thursday, Dec. 11 will begin with a spotlight event- the Swiss National Bank Interest Rate Announcement, at 3:30 am, ET.

Notable reports will deliver the European Central Bank’s Bulletin of statistical data on inflation, economic activity and growth, at 4:00 am, ET, followed by the U.K. Inflation Expectations Index, at 4:30 am, ET.

A sequence of trade balance releases will start with the U.S. International Trade Balance of the difference between imports and exports of tangible goods and services, at 8:30 am, ET, and the Canadian Trade Balance, also at 8:30 am, ET.

More U.S. data will bring the Weekly Jobless Claims, at 8:30 am, ET, along with the U.S. Import and Export Prices, an indicator of inflationary trends in internationally traded products, also at 8:30 am, ET.

The day will conclude with two important releases- New Zealand’s Retail Sales, the main measure of consumer spending, at 4:45 pm, ET, and the Japanese Industrial Production, measuring the physical output of factories, mines and utilities, at 11:30 pm, ET. 

Friday, Dec. 12 will start with the Japanese Household Confidence, a measure of consumer sentiment, at 12:00 am, ET.

A spotlight event will follow with the release of the Euro-zone Industrial Production, measuring the physical output of factories, mines and utilities, at 5:00 am, ET.

The U.S. economic data will bring the main spotlight event of the week- the U.S. Retail Sales, an important gauge of consumer spending, measuring the total receipts at stores that sell durable and nondurable goods, due at 8:30 am, ET, along with the U.S. PPI- Producers Price Index, the main measures of inflation experienced by manufacturers, also at 8:30 am, ET.

The trading week will end with another spotlight event- the U.S. Consumer Sentiment, a preliminary estimate of the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment survey of 500 households on their financial conditions and attitudes about the economy, scheduled at 10:00 am, ET.