A look at some of the key business events and economic indicators upcoming this week:
JOB MARKET BAROMETER
The Labor Department issues its monthly snapshot of U.S. job openings Tuesday.
Economists project the number of available jobs inched lower in February to around 6.9 million from 6.92 million the previous month. Despite signs that the economy is on the mend a year after the viral outbreak struck, the number of monthly job postings nationally remains below the pre-pandemic level of at least 7 million.
JOLTS job openings, in millions, by month:
Sept. 6.61
Oct. 6.87
Nov. 6.77
Dec. 6.75
Jan. 6.92
Feb. (est.) 6.90
Source: FactSet
TAKE THE CREDIT
The Federal Reserve delivers its latest consumer borrowing data Wednesday.
The tally, which excludes mortgages and other loans secured by real estate, is expected to show consumer borrowing increased by $10.6 billion in February. That would follow a $1.3 drop in January, the first time consumer credit declined since August. Consumer borrowing is closely watched for indications about Americans’ willingness to take on more credit to finance their spending.
Consumer credit, monthly change, seasonally adjusted, billions of dollars:
Sept. 17.1
Oct. 1.6
Nov. 13.4
Dec. 8.8
Jan. -1.3
Feb. (est.) 10.6
Source: FactSet
All in on e-commerce
Wall Street expects another lackluster quarterly report card from denim apparel pioneer Levi Strauss & Co.
Analysts predict the company will report Thursday that its fiscal first-quarter earnings and revenue declined from a year earlier. Levi Strauss has been focusing on its online business in order to make up for declining sales at physical stores, some of which have had to close due to pandemic-related restrictions.