Next Week At A Glance

This story features ALS LIMITED, and other companies. For more info SHARE ANALYSIS: ALQ

For a more comprehensive preview of next week's events, please refer to "The Monday Report", published each Monday morning. For all economic data release dates, ex-div dates and times and other relevant information, please refer to the FNArena Calendar.

By Greg Peel

Next Thursday is Thanksgiving in the US meaning all markets are closed, while the NYSE opens only for a half day on Friday.

For reasons known only to themselves, American retailers offer discounts on their goods to entice shoppers on that Friday, in the same fashion Australian retailers look to clear excess inventory on Boxing Day. Having spent all their money buying up inventory ahead of Christmas, Friday represents the day retailers’ profit & loss makes it into the black for the first time in the year, or so the story goes, hence the tag “Black Friday”. Online retailers follow suit on “Cyber Monday”.

The lines have become a bit more blurred in recent years, given many retailers are now breaking with tradition and opening on Thanksgiving. But suffice to say, where go Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales goes Christmas success or failure. Wall Street thus watches very closely.

US economic data releases next week include the Chicago Fed national activity index, existing home sales, durable goods and consumer sentiment. The minutes of the last Fed meeting are due on Wednesday.

The minutes of the Cup Day RBA meeting are out on Tuesday and Philip Lowe will speak.

On Wednesday we’ll see September quarter construction work done, proving another piece in the GDP puzzle.

On the local stock front, next week will feature earnings results from ALS Ltd ((ALQ)), CYBG ((CYB)), Graincorp ((GNC)), Technology One ((TNE)) and Programmed Maintenance ((PRG)).

It will also be the biggest week on the AGM calendar.

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