MNI Global Morning Briefing

     LONDON (MNI) - The three key pieces of data on the penultimate day of the

week are the January Germany final HICP data at 0700GMT, the February Euro Area

flash composite PMI data at 0900GMT and the January UK public sector finances

data at 0930GMT.

     A plethora of speeches start at 0800GMT, when ECB Executive Board member

Peter Praet speaks in Luxembourg.

     In Germany, January HICP is expected to come in unrevised from its flash

reading at 1.7% y/y and -1.0% m/m.

     The February Euro Area composite PMI was 51.0 in January. The MNI median

points to little change in February at 51.1.

     UK public Sector net borrowing excluding central banks has ticked up in

recent months meaning that YTD, the UK government have overshot the OBR's

forecast for 2018/2019. However, January and February tend to see large budget

surpluses which could help in bringing the UK budget back to target. The reading

in December was stg2.976bn.

     At 1230GMT is the ECB monetary policy meeting minutes.

     Speaking shortly after this at 1250GMT is Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank

President Raphael Bostic on the economic outlook and monetary policy in Atlanta.

     At 1330GMT is ECB Executive Board member Peter Praet speaking again for the

day but this time in Brussels.

     Concluding the speeches at 1735GMT, BOC Governor Stephen Poloz speaks in

Montreal.

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