UK retail sales and US industrial production amongst market movers today – Danske Bank

According to analysts at Danske Bank, UK retail sales for December are set to provide an insight into whether consumer spending in the UK stayed robust at the end of 2018 despite the Brexit turmoil.

Key Quotes

“Watch out for any headlines on US-China trade talks after The Wall Street Journal’s story that the US administration is considering reduce tariffs on Chinese imports.”

“Despite the sharp fall in ISM manufacturing, US industrial production probably registered another increase in December, according to consensus. In light of the ongoing US government shutdown, it will also be interesting to see whether consumer confidence from the University of Michigan for January shows the first signs of any negative repercussions. The weekly consumer confidence index from Bloomberg has moved lower recently.”

“New York Fed President John Williams is also scheduled to speak in the afternoon and we will again look out in particular for any hints on the future strategy around the balance sheet.”