Tomorrow's Macro Roadmap: AU inflation expectations / BOE speak / India inflation rate / US jobless claims, trade balance & auctions
US Housing Starts — January (13:30 CET)
Previous: 1,404K | Consensus: 1,350K
Housing starts are expected to decline roughly 4% m/m, with weather as the primary headwind, according to some analysts. Building permits — a cleaner forward-looking signal — are expected to decline.
US Initial Jobless Claims — week ending Mar 7 (13:30 CET)
Previous: 213K | Consensus: 215K | Continuing Claims: Previous 1,868K
Initial claims are expected to tick up slightly to 215K. Analysts cite again cold weather adding some upward pressure. The more important signal is continuing claims, which at 1,868K sit at the highest level since the start of the year - a pre-FOMC labor market read that bears watching.
On the policy maker front, BoE Governor Bailey (10:30 CET) delivers opening remarks at the FSB Payments Summit in London, focused on cross-border payments reform rather than monetary policy — Bailey also chairs the FSB. Fed Governor Bowman (16:00 CET) speaks at the Cato Institute on Basel III and bank capital rules — supervisory focus, not monetary policy directly, and one of the last Fed speeches before the FOMC blackout. BoE/PRA's Vicky White (15:40 CET) speaks at the Connect Global Group Treasury & Capital Markets Forum on prudential/insurance topics — she is not an MPC member.