Newsquawk week ahead: Minutes from the FOMC, ECB and RBA, flash PMIs and PBOC
==========

Highlights next week include Flash PMI data, the PBoC MLF and LPR rate decisions, alongside minutes from the FOMC, ECB and RBA. EU Foreign Ministers are poised to meet on February 19th to greenlight the EU’s mission to protect commercial vessels in the Red Sea from Iran-backed Houthi rebel attacks. The PBoC will conduct its 1-Year MLF operations and announce its Loan Prime Rates next week. The RBA will release the minutes from the February 6th meeting. The previous inflation data for December was a rise in headline CPI to 3.4% Y/Y from 3.1%. The Fed left rates unchanged at 5.25-5.5%, as expected, but made key changes to its statement. BoK is to conduct its latest policy meeting next week with the central bank likely to maintain its 7-Day Repo rate unchanged at the current level 3.50%. There are currently no analyst expectations as to what the Central Bank may opt to do under new governor Fatih Karaham. Expectations are for the services PMI to hold steady at 54.3 and for manufacturing print to rise to 47.5 from 47.0. Expectations are for the manufacturing PMI to rise to 47.1 from 46.6, services to increase to 48.7 from 48.4, leaving the composite at 48.5 from a previous 47.9. The ECB opted to stand pat on all three of its key rates.



https://www.forexlive.com/news/newsquawk-week-ahead-minutes-from-the-fomc-ecb-and-rba-flash-pmis-and-pboc-20240218/