The Daily Difference: Market Update April 8, 2014

It’s a slow week on the economic calendar: Wednesday, April 9, 2014

• FOMC Minutes. this release is a definite laggard, reflecting meeting minutes from the previous meeting (3 weeks ago).  In addition to the release of minutes, we will hear comments from a number of regional Fed president and governors: Narayana Kocherlakota and Charles Plosser on Tuesday, Charles Evans and Wednesday and Thursday, and Daniel Tarullo on Thursday.

Thursday, April 10, 2014 

• Jobless Claims. As usual, the number to watch will be the 4 week average: down to 319,500 as of last week. This average is expected to continue ticking down, with the consensus for this week’s number at 318k.

Friday, April 11, 2014

• PPI. The producer price index for final demand is expected to increase slightly to 0.1%, likely rebounding as a result of “weather.” (Hey, weather was mentioned 140+ times in the Fed Beige Book, so I can keep referencing it into the summer!)
• Consumer Sentiment. The University of Michigan number is expected to slightly increase despite weakness in the expectations component at the last reading.  Recent strength in the labor market should help this number.