MNI European Morning Briefing

     LONDON (MNI) - Friday throws up a muted data calendar, but the UK December

retail sales will be closely watched.

     The European calendar kicks off at 0700GMT, with the release of the German

December PPI data. At 0900GMT, the ECB will publish the latest EMU current

account data.

     At 0930GMT, the UK's December retail sales numbers will cross the wire.

     The UK's December retail sales data print will be released Friday, when we

will learn of the sector's contribution to fourth quarter GDP. The MNI median

expectation, taken from a poll of analysts, looks for a 1.0% m/m fall in total

sales volumes and a 2.8% rise on the year.

     Across the Atlantic, the Canadian Monthly Survey of Manufacturing and

International Transaction in Securities data will be published.

     Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Raphael Bostic will participate in a

public affairs forum with Nashville Regional Executive Lee Jones and Deputy

Regional Executive Laurel Graefe in Nashville, Tennessee, with audience Q&A,

starting at 1345GMT.

     The preliminary University of Michigan Sentiment Index will be published at

1500GMT. The index is expected to partially rebound to a reading of 97.0 in

early-January from 95.9 in December.

     The latest St. Louis Fed Real GDP Nowcast will be published at 1600GMT,

with the NY Fed GDP Nowcast EXPECTED AT 1615gmt.

     Federal Reserve Vice Chairman for Supervision Randal Quarles will speak on

bank regulation at the "American Bar Association - Banking Law Committee Annual

Meeting" in Washington, with audience Q&A, starting at 1800GMT.

     At 1830GMT, San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams

speaks at the "Bay Area Council Economic Institute's 11th Annual Forecast

Conference: Visualizing the Future of the Bay" in San Francisco, with an

audience Q&A expected.

--MNI London Bureau; tel: +44 203-586-2225; email: les.commons@marketnews.com