This week’s economic calendar is relatively quiet: The Federal Reserve is in its usual blackout period ahead of its next monetary-policy meeting, on April 27-28, and data releases are limited.
THURSDAY
The European Central Bank’s policy meeting is expected to be fairly uneventful, with officials likely leaving interest rates and the pace of bond purchases unchanged. “The tone should be similar to that of March, with the ECB waiting to see how financing conditions develop and when the recovery begins in earnest,” economists at TD Securities said in a note to clients.
U.S. applications for unemployment benefits during the first full week of April fell to the lowest level since the coronavirus pandemic struck, the latest sign of an improving labor market. Economists are forecasting an uptick in jobless claims for the week ending April 17, though the overall level is expected to remain near a pandemic low.
