Published 1 month ago in Trading Week Ahead

Trading Week Ahead: Flash PMIs in Focus

Middle East peace hopes have collapsed after U.S. forces seized an Iranian tanker. In retaliation, Tehran claims to have closed the Strait of Hormuz once again, triggering extreme volatility across global energy markets. With risk appetite fading, the spotlight shifts to Q1 earnings from heavyweights like Cleveland-Cliffs and the next leg of the AI race as SK Hynix advances memory production for Nvidia.

Brace for this week’s three key macro events:

👉 U.S. Retail Sales

Forecast to accelerate sharply to 1.4% (prev. 0.6%), this is a critical read on consumer spending strength. A soft print falling short of these high expectations will drag the dollar and fuel aggressive rate cut bets.

👉 EUR Flash PMIs

The primary Eurozone growth gauge is driving the European Central Bank’s next policy move. Markets are bracing for a slip into contraction for the services sector (forecast 49.8 vs. prev. 50.2), alongside a slowdown in manufacturing (forecast 50.7 vs. prev. 51.5).

👉 U.S. Flash PMIs

The standout macro event of the week. Traders will aggressively parse the data to see if the crucial services sector can claw its way back into expansion territory (forecast 50.1 vs. prev. 49.8). A weak print missing this threshold is virtually guaranteed to spike market volatility.

04/20/26

Time

2:30 PM

Instrument

CAD

Event
CPI

04/21/26

Time

12:45 AM

Instrument

NZD

Event
CP

Time

8:00 AM

Instrument

GBP

Event
Claimant Count Change

Time

2:30 PM

Instrument

USD

Event
Retail Sales

04/22/26

Time

8:00 AM

Instrument

GBP

Event
CPI

04/23/26

Time

10:00 AM

Instrument

EUR

Event
Eurozone Flash PMI

Time

10:30 AM

Instrument

GBP

Event
Flash PMI

Time

3:45 PM

Instrument

USD

Event
Flash PMI

04/24/26

Time

8:00 AM

Instrument

GBP

Event
Retail Sales

Date	Time	Instrument	Event
04/20/26	2:30 PM	CAD	CPI
04/21/26	12:45 AM	NZD	CP
	8:00 AM	GBP	Claimant Count Change
	2:30 PM	USD	Retail Sales
04/22/26	8:00 AM	GBP	CPI
04/23/26	10:00 AM	EUR	Eurozone Flash PMI
	10:30 AM	GBP	Flash PMI
	3:45 PM	USD	Flash PMI
04/24/26	8:00 AM	GBP	Retail Sales