FINANCIAL MARKETS AWAIT CENTRAL BANK MEETING MINUTES AND NORTH KOREAN RESPONSE

MEETING MINUTES AND NORTH KOREA

This week financial markets await the minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia and the U.S Federal Reserve's previous policy meetings. The recent escalation of rhetoric and tensions between the United States and North Korea will also be in focus.

Traders will also look to industrial production figures from the Chinese economy, second quarter gross domestic product figures from the German economy, and July consumer price inflation data from the eurozone and the UK.

Monday 14th August, RBA Meeting Minutes

The Reserve Bank of Australia releases the Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes, of the recent August interest rate decision.

The Minutes will offer a detailed record of RBA policy makers thoughts, containing in-depth insights into the economic conditions that influenced the decision to keep rates unchanged at 1.75 percent.

Tuesday 15th August, German Second Quarter GDP Data

The German economy releases Gross Domestic Product figures for the second fiscal quarter. The expectation is for GDP to rise 0.7 percent in the second quarter, slightly better than first fiscal quarters 0.6 percent increase.

GDP is the broadest measure of economic activity, and is a key indicator of economic health. The quarterly percent changes in GDP show the growth rate of the economy as a whole.

Wednesday 16th August, FOMC Meeting Minutes

The Federal Open Market Committee Meeting Minutes will offer a detailed record of the committee's policy-setting meeting held on July 26th.

The minutes offer detailed insights regarding the FOMC's stance on monetary policy, traders will carefully examine them for clues regarding the outcome of future interest rate decisions.

Thursday 17th August, Australian Employment Change and Unemployment Rate

The Australian dollar is likely to become increasingly active during and after the release of key Australian employment data on Thursday.

The unemployment rate is expected to hold steady around 5.6 percent, whilst the actual month on month employment change figures are known to be volatile.

Friday 18th August, Canadian Consumer Price Inflation Data

The Canadian economy releases key inflation data for the month of July, at a time when the Bank of Canada are raising interest rates.

Consumer price inflation is expected to rise 0.1 percent, after declining –0.1 percent the previous month. The rising value of the Canadian dollar may also start to weigh July's inflation numbers.