The week ahead | Calamatta Cuschieri

Global markets ended higher on Friday, getting a boost from health care shares, while the financial and oil and gas were the two sectors that finished lower. In Europe, the FTSE 100 rose around 1%, making it a third straight weekly advance for the blue chip benchmark. US equities also closed higher on Friday, posting weekly gains, as investors kept an eye on retailers during Black Friday as a post-election rally moved forward.

Data, data, data…

There's a burst of data in the week ahead, including the jobs report on Friday — expected to show 175,000 nonfarm payrolls were added in November, and the unemployment rate at 4.9 percent, according to Thomson Reuters.

There's a slew of other reports that will show what the economy was doing both before and after the election, including an update to third-quarter GDP on Tuesday, expected at around 3%. November auto sales are scheduled to be released Thursday as is ISM manufacturing data.

There will also be early readings on how the holiday shopping season is going, with promising anecdotes. There are a number of retailers reporting earnings, and they could give more color on how the early holiday shopping season is shaping up. Tiffany is scheduled to report Tuesday, and Ulta and Dollar General are set to announce Thursday. The S&P consumer discretionary sector, which includes retail, ended the week at an all-time high.

The rush of economic data will be weighed against the market's expectations that the Fed is on track to raise interest rates 14 December by a quarter point. Economists expect the central bank to move ahead.

OPEC meeting in focus

The health of the US manufacturing sector, as well as the outcome of a highly anticipated meeting of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, are among the highlights of a heavy week of economic data following the Thanksgiving holiday.

OPEC meets Wednesday and it will decide whether to curb output, along with other non-OPEC producers. Analysts mostly expect some sort of deal, and that decision — either way — could help drive crude prices for months to come. Oil prices drifted lower on Friday, as traders adopted a wait-and-see attitude ahead of the all-important meeting.

This article was issued by Rebecca Naudi, Trader at Calamatta Cuschieri. For more information visit, www.cc.com.mt. The information, view and opinions provided in this article is being provided solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be construed as investment advice, advice concerning particular investments or investment decisions, or tax or legal advice. Calamatta Cuschieri Investments Services Ltd has not verified and consequently neither warrants the accuracy nor the veracity of any information, views or opinions appearing on this website.