Today kicks off a blitz of data on housing and consumer
confidence that should present telltale signs of the health
of the economy.
1) The Greek Finance Minister, Evangelos Venizelos will
discuss the ongoing Greek debt crisis wand the country's
efforts toward financial reform. The crisis reached a
boiling point late last week, with a number of measures
coming from the European Union designed to hopefully
quell fears of global contagion.
2) TodaY, we'll get a look at the Case-Shiller Home Price
Index which track the price of homes in 20 major cities.
The Index has stabilized lately after falling to 2003
levels. A decline here will raise fears that we're
beginning not only a new leg down from home prices, but
a new leg down for the overall economy.
3) Consumer Confidence figures from the Confernce Board will
be released today. These tracks gas prices, food prices,
unemployment, etc.
4) Data on new home sales and durable goods orders will be
released on Wednesday but may prove to be uneventful.
5) The Federal Reserve will release it "Biege Book" survey
on Wednesday. It is a biege book filled with the results
of economic surveys in the Fed's 12 regional districts.
The markets will be watching this for signs that the
economy is improving or deteriorating.
Sheila McKinney
