A busier day for markets as far as announcements go, led by some crucial data releases from China.

China is releasing vital Industrial Production, Fixed Asset Investment and Retail Sales data. These figures are even more critical because there were no figures released in February for the month of January as they had their New Year’s Holiday towards the end of the month, therefore did not want to distort figures.

The most important figure is the Industrial Production data. As the Chinese population continues to grow, the demand for all things industrial (ie building materials, infrastructure etc) continues to grow. The industrial sector is vital to the Chinese economy for its continued economic development. The size and growth of the industrial sector is also important for other economies around the world as China needs to import a lot of raw materials in order to make the industrial products that fuel the economy. Other countries around the world rely on the China’s economic growth for their own economy to remain strong.  The Fixed Asset Investment figure represents the change in the total spending on non-rural capital investments such as factories etc. This is a indicator to determine economic growth and the strength of the Industrial sector. Retail Sales reflects the strength of the retail sector in China.

Elsewhere around the world, Europe is publishing a few pieces of data. This includes: German Final CPI, European & German ZEW Economic Sentiment and European Industrial Production. Meanwhile, the US is reporting its NFIB Small Business Index, PPI (Producer Price Index) and Core PPI. Finally, the UK is releasing CB Leading Index figures.

Away from announcements, the UK Parliament has passed a bill allowing the country’s PM, Theresa May, to enact Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which is the first stage of the exit negotiations for the UK out of the EU. Scotland, Ireland and Wales have all hinted at holding their own separate independence referendums, with the aim of remaining in the EU. Whether this is just rhetoric remains to be seen.