The Week Ahead on Wall Street: ECB Rate Meeting, BLS Unemployment, Dollar General Earnings on Tap

Now that summer vacation is over, look for the markets to slowly awake from their slumber. In this shortened work week, there’s job numbers and a European Central Bank meeting to take over headlines. After Fed Chief Ben Bernanke’s remarks last week about the labor market’s recovery being “painfully slow,” look for heightened interest in Friday’s numbers.

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Eyes will also be on economic numbers early in the week including construction spending, ISM manufacturing, services data and productivity data.

Also fighting for center stage at week’s end is Thursday’s ECB policy rate meeting.

Whether any policy decisions coming from the meeting remains to be seen. This comes before the Sept. 12 German court ruling on the  the European Stability Mechanism constitutionality.

Tuesday: August ISM manufacturing report, July construction spending and U.S. August vehicle sales.

Wednesday: Second-quarter productivity (revised).

Thursday: ADP August jobs survey and Weekly jobless claims.

Friday: August nonfarm payrolls.

Earnings

Tuesday:  Smithfield Foods (NYSE:SFD), Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB), Pep Boys (NYSE:PBY), Bloomin’ Brands (BLMN).

Wednesday: H&R Block (NYSE:HRB), Dollar General (NYSE:DG), Men’s Wearhouse (NYSE:MW), Korn/Ferry (NYSE:KFY), Harry Winston (NYSE:HWD).

Thursday: Hovnanian (NYSE:HOV), Cooper Companies (NYSE:COO), Smith & Wesson (NASDAQ:SWHC),  Layne Christensen (NASDAQ:LAYN).

Friday: Brady (NYSE:BRC), Kroger (NYSE:KR).

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