STORY: From election fever in France and the UK to the US jobs report, here are the top stories to watch in business and finance next week.
:: Thinking ahead
:: US monthly employment report
The US monthly employment report will be released on Friday, July 5th.
Economists expect a gain of 180,000 jobs in June.
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 272,000 in May, well above expectations.
The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged this month and delayed the start of rate cuts.
:: Elections are being held in France
France is holding the first round of a market-roiling general election on Sunday.
Concerns over spending surges have subsided…
Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party has signalled it will act fiscally responsible.
However, French banking stocks continue to fall by double digits and are far from recovering.
:: British Blues
The Labour Party is expected to win a landslide victory in Thursday’s UK general election.
With the trade-weighted pound recovering to its pre-Brexit level, UK stocks and government bonds are likely to rise.
But the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank said the UK faces huge fiscal challenges and neither party has said how they will be solved.
:: Standoff
The Federal Reserve and a strong dollar leave little room for imminent rate cuts in Asia.
Inflation rates in most emerging Asian economies have fallen to within central bank target ranges in recent months.
But policymakers have continued to keep interest rates high for long periods to protect their currencies.
The Bank of Thailand governor is likely to reiterate the central bank’s position to the media on Thursday.
